3 aunts fight in Chinatown after one was accused of taking too many offerings from hungry ghosts
During the ongoing Hungry Ghost Festival, Singaporeans can expect to see a number of activities involving sacrificial offerings.
However, as worshipers burn paper offerings for the dead, some attendees may feel hot under the collar for other reasons.
Just take the three aunts who fought in front of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple for two days this weekend.
Apparently the fights started when one of the aunts was accused of taking too many offerings.
My aunt would have taken offerings without authorization
The first fight took place on Saturday (August 6) around 11 a.m., the Shin Min Daily News reported.
At the time, a Mid-Autumn Festival event was taking place in the open space between the temple and the Chinatown complex.
One of the aunts involved, 68-year-old retiree Zeng Yuefeng, said the event was held primarily for nearby residents.
But an aunt “suddenly appeared” and took fruit offerings without permission, she added.
Photo for illustrative purposes only. Source: Brian Yap on Flickr
The woman does not live in the area and is not usually seen, but only comes when there are free things to pick up, Mdm Zeng said.
This time she took two of each type of fruit, she claimed.
The aunts fight in Chinatown, the shots fly
Seeing this, another aunt who was in charge of the event told the first woman not to take too many offerings as there were others who had not yet taken any.
Somehow it got them into a fight.
When Mdm Zeng approached to try to stop them, she was punched in the face and bruised, she said.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
She wanted to go to the hospital to have it checked out, but there was no one to accompany her.
The injury was so painful that she couldn’t sleep that night, she added.
The aunts get into another brawl in Chinatown the next day
The next day, the bruise got better – only for Mdm Zeng to get punched again.
On Sunday (August 7) morning around 8 a.m., the aunt who took the offerings returned, she said.
Another shouting match ensued between her and the people there, including Mdm Zeng.
Eventually they got punched again, with both women punching each other in the face.
Aunt who took offerings says she was invited
In order to hear the other side of the story, Shin Min also spoke with the woman accused of accepting offerings, 69-year-old retiree Sun Yuhua.
She told the newspaper that she was invited to the event by an uncle, who also let her take some offerings.
Then she asked an aunt if she could have three mangoes, but she was loudly rejected.
She was ready to give up, but when she asked permission to take grapes and received another hostile refusal, it made her very angry, she said.
Aunt accused of using a chair in combat
This led to a fight, and it was two against one, Mdm Sun claimed.
In fact, it was the other two aunts who attacked her, although she never started a fight, she said.
One of her opponents even hit her with a white chair, scratching her leg.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
She was also punched, she added, causing injuries to her cheek and corner of her mouth.
However, Mdm Zeng contradicted his story, saying that it was actually Mdm Sun who used a chair and a broom to hit people.
She was eventually arrested by an uncle, Mdm Zeng added.
The police were called
The incident ended up being a job for the police.
Mdm Sun reportedly called the police, who arrived at the scene.
The police confirmed to Shin Min that she had been alerted to the altercation.
However, no mention was made of a police report or charges being filed.
Cool off and enjoy the festivities
As Singaporeans celebrate our first “normal” Hungry Ghost Festival since the pandemic, we may still be getting used to interacting with many people at events again.
This can cause heated exchanges when emotions run high.
Do not forget that the festivities are for us a pleasure, not so that we ourselves become the spectacle.
Hope the aunts calm down and recover from their injuries soon.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook.
