Haunted Changi Jetty

Journey to Pulau Ubin

Located off the coast of Singapore is Pulau Ubin and the boats that are used to shuttle people to and from the two islands arrived and departed at Changi Point jetty. It only costs a mere S$2.50 per person and that’s including all your luggage. The only rule was that dead bodies were not allowed on the boats. This superstition stemmed from the belief that the dead and the living passengers should not be mixed together.

Besides tourists, many merchants and traders also travelled to and from Pulau Ubin. These travellers are usually people who had business to attend to on the island but lived on the mainland. If any of them were to unfortunately pass away from home, their bodies would not be able to be transported back to the mainland. Thus, they had to be buried at Pulau Ubin. Many people couldn’t accept this reality because any family member would prefer to have their loved ones returned home for a proper burial. That way, their souls may be able to rest in peace at their own home.

So what happens to these lost spirits who can’t find their way home? Their spirits were summoned by a shaman who was invited to the burial grounds in Pulau Ubin. The shaman will then conduct a ritual that involved a lot of chanting. This is to convince the spirit to “live” in what is called an ancestor tablet which is a wooden altar with the name of the deceased written on it. The ancestor tablet is used as a medium to transport the spirit back to the mainland. That way, the soul will be able to rest in the comforts of its own home while the body remains on Pulau Ubin.

There is a minor setback to this method though. The boat people would only allow the ancestor tablet to be brought on the boat under one condition. The tablet must be covered by a paper umbrella that is supplied by the boat people. It is a traditional Chinese parasol made of paper and bamboo with the surface painted and waxed. Together with the umbrella, the tablet will be accompanied throughout the journey by a joss stick. This practice had to be followed regardless of whether it was rain or shine, night or day. It is believed that the paper umbrella will contain the spirit within the tablet in order to ensure that the spirit will not leave. The boat people were afraid that the spirit might just escape the tablet and decide to stay on the boat.

So next time you take one of those boat rides to Pulau Ubin, you might want to check out the roof structure of the jetty. You will see a paper umbrella, similar to the ones that were used to contain the spirits. Do not disturb the umbrella for the boat people take these things very seriously.