The seventh lunar month is traditionally regarded as Ghost Month, the result of two major festivals, one Taoist and one Buddhist, both honoring the dearly departed. The Chungyuan Festival (
It is a time when respect for one's ancestors is greatly emphasized and filial piety gets lots of attention. One of the reasons for this is that during this month, popular superstition has it that the gates of hell are opened and the souls of the dead wander among the living. Failure to do the right thing by the deceased might lead to all kinds of ill fortune.
The deceased are not a particularly agreeable lot, and need to be pacified by offerings of food and drink. Jealous of the living, they are prone to bringing the living across to the dark side. Many people take particular precautions during Ghost Month, avoiding possibly dangerous activities such as swimming. For the unsuperstitious, this makes Ghost Month an ideal time for river or lakeside trips, but you will be warned that you are tempting fate.
Chungyuan marks the high point of Ghost Month and is celebrated across Taiwan today in the Chungyuan Pu Tu (
Extensive Chinese language information on the festivals' origins and associated activities, which continue through August, can be found at the Chungyuan Festival Web site at www.klcr.org.tw/
For your information:
Ghost Month ceremony
Mon/14 1pm to 7pm: Competitve food displays, using fruit and wheat flower sculptures. Dance performance of Chung Kuei, the demon-slayer. (
Tien-liao riverside（
Until Sunday: 2000 Keelung Chungyuan Festival -- An installation art exhibition of lanterns along the Tien-liao river. (2000雞籠中元祭藝文華會?裝置藝術展"蓮池華映"), Yi 1st Road to Yi 3rd Road, Tien-liao riverside（田寮河面，義一路至義三路）
Keelung Municipal Cultural Center (
2000 Keelung Chungyuan Festival -- Special Exhibition of the Millennium Buddha (
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