Last week, I discussed the air pollution that arises from the burning of offerings during the Hungry Ghost Festival here.
This week, I will talk about the hygiene issues that come with putting out food offerings on the streets. As part of traditional customs, people put out food items like fruits, biscuits and tea leaves as an offering to wandering spirits during the Hungry Ghost Festival. However, the common practice is to leave the offerings out overnight or until the cleaner removes them as it is taboo to tamper with or consume the offerings. The unattended food becomes a feast for wild animals like monkeys, birds, and rats, producing a slew of problems.
Pigeons help themselves to the food offerings on the ground.
Already, pigeon related issues are a major concern in residential estates. These birds are not fussy about their food and have acclimated to our urban environment such that they now thrive in large numbers.
Leaving food out in the open is akin to feeding the birds, which disrupts the ecological balance in the wild, allowing the pigeons to breed beyond what our natural environment can support (Loo and Kwok, 2018). In other words, there are more pigeons than the fruits on our trees can feed, due to these man-made food sources.
Furthermore, the availability of food causes the pigeons to congregate near human activity (Baker, 2018), encroaching into our living space. Once these birds establish that residential areas are a food source, they may start settling in as our neighbours. This is what happened at my parents’ flat where the roosting of pigeons under the air conditioner ledge is a problem. The pigeons leave the ledge full of feathers and droppings, creating a foul smell.
These wild birds and their droppings carry germs that may causes diseases, posing a great health risk and make our living conditions less desirable. The same can be said for rats, which also feed on these food left behind by pigeons.
Thus, the act of leaving food offerings out in the open has a detrimental impact on our living environment, health and ecological system. Next week, we will take a look at some possible measures to counter the environmental problems of the Hungry Ghost Festival.
EDIT: An earlier version of this post mentioned that pigeons play a role in pollinating trees and plants. This is not true as rock pigeons found in Singapore are granivores that feed on seeds.
References:
Loo, A. and Kwok, J. (Aug 8, 2018). Feeding of wildlife causes host of problems
Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/forum/letters-on-the-web/feeding-of-wildlife-causes-host-of-problems
Baker, J.A. (Mar 31, 2018). AVA urges people not to feed pigeons amid a sharp rise in feedback about the birds
Retrieved from: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/ava-urges-people-not-to-feed-pigeons-amid-a-sharp-rise-in-10087394
Hi Sihui!
This post is really relatable as it is also a (very) common sight to see flocks of pigeons not just underneath my block, but near parks as well. The act of leaving offerings along the streets is something that I can relate to as well since I’ve been following my grandmother to the grass patch near my block to do the very same action since I was young. However, in recent years, I have observed that my grandmother no longer leaves the food offerings out in the open, but instead brings it back home! When I asked her why she did that, she said we should not waste food.
I’m looking forward to your next post on what can be done to counter the environmental problems of the Hungry Ghost Festival 🙂
Wan Teng
Hi Wan Teng,
Thank you for sharing your own experience. I am actually quite surprised that your grandmother brings the offerings back to eat! I always thought it was a serious taboo, especially for the older generation. Seems like your grandmother is very open-minded!
Cheers,
Si Hui
Hi Si Hui,
What an interesting topic you have chosen!
Unfortunately, the incidents and happenings you have mentioned in your blog posts (Part 1 and Part 2) are common in my neighbourhood as well. The air pollution from burning ‘hell money’ is the more pertinent issue here – I would have to close my windows!
I cannot wait to read your next post, though I am sceptical that people are willing to change their rituals for the sake of the environment. I am doubtful that they can do so in the first place 🙁
Cheers,
Chermaine
Hi Chermaine,
Thank you for your kind words!
I’m sure the smoke from the burning of joss paper is a problem that plagues many Singaporeans. It is indeed difficult for individuals to change the traditional rituals that they have been performing for years. However, there are other subtle changes that can be made to reduce the impacts of the Hungry Ghost Festival, such as using improved burning bins with a closed design. Do check out my latest post for more details!
In my opinion, these simple alternatives that do not undermine the cultural significance of the festival are the solutions we should focus on when trying to tackle the environmental impacts.
Cheers,
Si Hui
Pigeons are granivores. They don’t pollinate flowers. Ever.
Hi Dr Coleman,
Thank you for correcting me! That was a terrible mistake. I have since updated the post.
For my readers, the dominant species of pigeons found in Singapore is the Columba livia, also known as rock pigeons or feral pigeons (Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, 2018). This species of pigeons feed mainly on seeds, which are mostly digested in their gizzards to become unviable for germination (Bucher and Bocco, 2009). Hence, pigeons also do not play a significant role in the seed dispersal of plants.
Cheers,
Si Hui
References:
Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (2018). Columba livia
Retrieved from: https://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/dna/organisms/details/468
Bucher E. and Bocco P. (Aug 2009). Reassessing the Importance of Granivorous Pigeons as Massive, Long-Distance Seed Dispersers
Retrieved from: https://www-jstor-org.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/stable/25592747?pq-origsite=summon&seq=2#metadata_info_tab_contents
Hi Si Hui,
I believe that this whole episode of the pigeon problem is a very common sight among the residential areas in Singapore. From pigeons being rats of the sky, it seems like they are becoming rats of the neighbourhood too for they are not only feeding on the food that is left as offerings to the wandering spirits, people out there actually feed them too and I wonder why. Coming back to the point, the practice of leaving offerings out in the open has been going for a long time and according to our elderly, this is supposedly the “right” thing to do. Hence, to change their thinking is a tough nut to crack. I am looking forward to reading your next post to find out what are some new measures to counter the environmental problems of the Hungry Ghost Festival.
Cheers,
Joey
Hi Joey,
I agree that the increasing number of pigeons is a major problem. While researching the problem of pigeons, I found an interesting consequence of pigeons eating human food. As human food is not as nutritious as their natural diet, rock pigeons overcome this by increasing the amount of food they consume, leading to an increased level of faecal matter (Spennemann and Watson, 2017). This just adds to the long list of reasons why we should avoid feeding pigeons or leaving food offerings out during the Hungry Ghost Festival. However, this traditional practice is definitely one that will take a long time to change.
Cheers,
Si Hui
References:
Spennemann D. and Watson M. (July 2017). Dietary Habits of Urban Pigeons (Columba livia) and Implications of excreta pH–A Review
Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316223278_Dietary_Habits_of_Urban_Pigeons_Columba_livia_and_Implications_of_excreta_pH-A_