When it comes to urban legends, Singaporeans are no different. We may not have the most haunted locations like the others, but we certainly do our fair share of ghostly tales and spooky stories that would make anyone shiver in fear. There are many urban legends that circulate throughout Singapore, and it can be hard to keep track of them all. So, if you are interested in learning about some of the more famous ones, read on the five of the ghost stories you will hear about the Lion City.

Offerings for Hungry Ghosts

Hungry Ghost month is the seventh month of the lunar calendar. During this time, Chinese people make offerings to their loved ones who have passed away. Families leave these tributes where they believe their ancestors will find them readily, which is frequently near public sidewalks. According to mythology, stepping on these presents will enrage the spirits, causing something horrible to happen to you.

Tekong Tales

Whether or not you were in National Service, the narrative of the young Charlie Company recruit who went missing has gone viral to the point where you have probably heard several versions of it in your life. Let us go with the most popular story, which involves one of the trainees who went missing on a routine march near Pulau Tekong. The boy’s body was discovered the next day after a thorough search. The recruit appeared to have died of stomach rupture due to his body’s high temperature, according to a post-mortem. Many recruits claimed to have seen his spirit after the tragedy.

Phantom Children

The majority of Singaporeans reside in high-rise apartment buildings known as HDBs, which are effectively government-subsidized inexpensive housing. According to legend, people would complain that they could not sleep because the children in the flat above them were playing marbles late at night. They had eventually become fed up and expressed their dissatisfaction to the owners of the above flat, only to discover that the apartment had been vacant for some time or that if a family did reside there, they did not have any young children. This story led to the belief that some of the older apartment blocks were haunted by the ghosts of young children who had passed away too soon.

Female Ghost Passengers

This tale begins with taxi drivers who have had the unsettling experience of picking up late-night passengers who request to be dropped off at a cemetery. Typically, the story’s protagonist is a lovely young woman waiting for a taxi on a remote road. She does not speak again until she is in the taxi, and when she arrives at her location, she hands the driver money without saying anything. When the driver looks at the money in the morning, he notices that the Singaporean bills have been substituted by hell notes, money burned as an offering.

The Story Behind Ang Mo Kio Bridge

‘Ang moh’ is a Singlish phrase that you’ll hear a lot in Singapore. The name translates “red hair” in Hokkien, although it is more commonly used to denote somebody who is Caucasian. Ang Mo Kio Bridge, a now-defunct link between Ang Mo Kio and Thomson estates, is said to have been named after a horrific incident that occurred in the 1920s. Lady Windsor and her husband, a wealthy merchant, lived there with their three children. A massive swell struck in 1923, drowning all three children who were playing near the bridge.