Chungyuan Festival and The Taiwanese Ghost Month

The 7th lunar month is known as the Ghost Month in Chinese folk culture. During this month, wandering specters and ghosts visit the world of the living to enjoy offerings of the people. During the month, the people of Taiwan pay close attention to their personal safety and avoid uttering the word ghost for fear of incurring bad luck. Various lunar festivals are held across the country as companies and households alike prepare sumptuous offerings to regale the ghosts and spirits and to secure peace. On the eve of the Ghost Month, paper lanterns are lit at the Laodagong Temple in Keelung, giving directions to the lost ghosts and spirits of the ancestors and other deities in visiting this world of the living to be feted. All the celebrations and events related to the Ghost Month and Festival kick off the moment the door to the otherworld is opened. The release of the water lanterns is the highlight of the Ghost Festival in Keelung. The parade before the release of lanterns is a carnival in its own right, with floats, folk performances, international art troupes and parades lining the streets to entertain the onlookers. The crowd drifts toward the shore as night falls. The water lanterns made by various clans are ignited amidst the chanting of the Taoist priests. The water lanterns drift off on the ebbing tide; ideally, theyll drift out as far off as possible in order to better guide the ghosts on the ocean back to their world. Ghosts and deities dictate the Chinese concept of good and evil and their morals. Be it a customary practice or superstition, these traditions passed down by our ancestors serve as a reminder to people today that it is best to show respect for the spirits and the unknown.

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