Around 10 days ago, it was the day of love, but now it seems that the season of revenge has started. Considering how the ancient and spooky ritual of ‘villain hitting’ is going viral, it might not be too far off base to say that.
A recent viral video has once again brought into focus an ancient ritual called ‘villain hitting’ from Hong Kong, where elderly practitioners offer a ritual in which clients can literally curse their enemies or invite misfortune on them.
Rituals such as these are, in a way, nothing new, from voodoo to black magic to local regional ones; such practices have existed since time unknown, where people pay to put a curse on someone they don’t like.
In India itself, many regions are famous or infamous, depending on how you look at it, for harbouring such practices.
In an age of global stress, this unusual tradition has captured fresh interest from locals and tourists alike.
What Is Villain Hitting?
On February 16, 2026, travel vlogger Aakanksha Monga posted an interesting experience she had while visiting Hong Kong.
In her video, she talked about the ancient ritual of ‘villain hitting’ writing, “So I got my enemy cursed with a SHOE in Hong Kong… There’s this wild tradition in Hong Kong where voodoo ladies sit under a bridge and literally HIT bad vibes out of your life with a shoe. It’s called the villain hitting ritual, and honestly? It’s one of the most unique things I’ve ever experienced.”
View this post on Instagram
She explained the process of this ritual, writing, “You tell them who or what’s been causing problems in your life… could be a person, could be bad luck, health issues, or money stress. They write it down on paper, light some incense, pray to their god, and then SLAP that paper with a shoe over and over while chanting spells to curse it away. Some people even bring their own shoes for extra impact.”
She further wrote how “I personally wrote ‘bad luck’ because sometimes you just need to release the energy that’s been weighing you down, you know? it’s not about anger or revenge….. It’s actually a form of cleansing. a way to let go and start fresh. And honestly i think that’s beautiful.”
Read More: Watch: Five Weird Rituals From Around The World
Villain hitting, locally known as da siu yan, is a form of folk ritual traditionally practised in southern China and Hong Kong’s Cantonese communities.
It involves writing a person’s name, sometimes with other identifiers such as birth details or photos, onto paper, and then specialist practitioners, who are usually elderly women also known as “villain hitters,” ritually beating that paper effigy with a slipper or shoe.
The act is believed to symbolically curse or neutralise a “villain,” a person or negative force perceived as causing harm to the client’s life.
Tong Pik-ha, a feng shui master, author and television host, was quoted in a 2024 South China Morning Post report about how the phrase kind of went from meaning the killing of pests to getting rid of enemies. As per the report, the phrase ‘Siu yan’ translates to little person and its eventual relation to standing for ‘villain’ is a bit of a misnomer.
As per Tong Pik-ha, “In ancient times, it was the time marked to get rid of pests,” as the third solar term Jingzhe from the 24 solar terms that the Chinese lunisolar calendar is based on means “awakening of insects.”
Tong states that, “At jingzhe, the weather would have started warming up and it would have been a good time to clean and clear your house of pests. Eventually, its meaning evolved to also mean ridding your life of gossipers or back-stabbers, and this practice of physical cleansing became one of spiritual cleansing, too.”
Feng shui master and fortune-teller Andrew Kwan also explained the origins of this term, saying, “There wasn’t much agrarian societies could do about the threat of plagues and pests that would ruin their crops, and by the time jingzhe came about they would have started farming for the new year. This made it a good time to perform blessings for the coming year’s harvest. As we progressed to an industrial and then commercial society, the tradition still stood, and has evolved to mean getting rid of other kinds of bad luck.”
Tong also commented, “It’s not something you can do yourself. It requires a ritual to invite the gods to bless this ritual, and a little-known practice that must be done is to ask permission with jiao bei… Even if you’ve asked for the blessing, if you don’t get the go-ahead from the jiao bei then you have to start the entire ritual again.”
There are also limits to this ritual, wherein a person cannot target pregnant women, children and the elderly with this ritual. Pregnant women are also not allowed to engage in the ritual of villain hitting.
Tong explained, “The idea is that we don’t want to direct any ill will towards innocent children, and with the elderly, we don’t want any added burden on their long lives already.”
In the modern city, the Corridor Road or Canal Road Flyover area in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, has become synonymous with villain hitting. There, practitioners have long used inexpensive tools like old slippers, incense sticks, and paper effigies to enact symbolic justice for clients seeking relief.
The choice of this semi-hidden but public location reflects traditional Chinese spiritual beliefs that liminal spaces, bridges, underpasses, and thresholds are especially potent for rituals targeting unseen forces.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Hindustan Times, Moneycontrol, South China Morning Post
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: villain hitting, villain hitting meaning, villain hitting ritual, villain hitting hong kong, villain hitting causeway bay, hong kong, villain hitting singapore, asian black magic, Bizarre Ritual
Disclaimer: We do not own any rights or copyrights to the images used; these images have been sourced from Google. If you require credits or wish to request removal, please contact us via email.
Other Recommendations:
How Praying Boosts Problem-Solving Even If You’re Not Religious Or Spiritual
