This is one of my Dad's experiences and he's given permission for me to share them.
If you ever go to a country with Chinese traditions and practices, you would not be surprised to see the locals burning incense paper (so called hell paper money). These are burned for a variety of reasons but mostly for the sake of our departed family or for rituals to pay homage to the multitude of Chinese deities. (for more details, please wiki it)
Anyway, my dad has always been a Buddhist and believer but in his youthful indiscretion, he once did something stupid. He was walking along the pathway during the 7th lunar month (which for Chinese, means the ghost festival month where the gates of hell are opened and which the living burns incense and other offerings to the spirits) and he chanced upon a pile of ashes from the offerings. Even a child would know to step aside and not purposely disrupt the offerings or ashes as a sign of respect. However, my dad went and kicked the pile of ashes (the ashes had been there for a while and was cold with nothing sharp inside it). With that misdeed done, my dad went home and forgot about it.
That night, out of the blue, he felt an intense burning sensation on his right foot and it started swelling. The entire night he couldn't rest as his foot swelled to nearly twice its original size and the burning sensation continued throughout the night.
He then became sick for 3 days with consistent fever and the doctor couldn't tell what was wrong with him.
To date, he believes that was a little lesson for him by whatever spirit he annoyed.
What do you guys think?
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One day during the mid-1980s, a colleague limped into work with his foot in a cast from a broken ankle. Ruefully, he told us that he'd been arguing with his neighbour over the ash from the burnt offerings and incense blowing into his place. In Singapore, most people live in flats (apartment blocks) and because it gets humid, the front door is often left open to catch a breeze. After sweeping up the ashes from his doorway a number of times, he had stomped over to the neighbour's and kicked at the altar at their entrance.
The next day, he tripped as he was walking along a level footpath. By some strange coincidence, he broke the ankle on the very same foot he had used to kick at the altar. He said he should have known better and cautioned us not to make the same mistake. We were taught that it is advisable to get along with the neighbours as best we can, and show respect for each other's cultures and beliefs. Because you never know...
Https://www.yourchineseastrology.com/holidays/ghost-festival/