Keelung Ghost Festival
One of the most striking things about Taiwan for me in my first years was how ancestors play a huge role in religious and family life. In the UK ancestors are remembered, sometimes they’re revered or a they’re source of shame, but they rarely form part of any public or private ceremonies outside of war memorial days. In Taiwan it's a matter of routine to make offerings to those who have passed and you'll often see people burning paper money and taking part in other rituals.
Some ghost money is inscribed with blessings and shaped into boats and other items, while other notes look like real money
The seventh month of the year is an especially busy time for the inhabitants of the spirit world. In this month the gates of hell open allowing the departed to visit the living. You'll often see tables of uneaten food laid out in front of businesses. These are for the eternally hungry so they can sate their appetite and also so they won’t wander into any homes and disturb the living. There are a whole host of taboos during this time. Don’t pick up money off the street, don’t swim, and don’t whistle after dark. Not all the spirits who come to visit during ghost month are benign and doing these things may attract evil ghosts and lead to misfortune!
In the excellent Miaokou Night Market in Keelung
Keelung city has an especially vibrant ghost month tradition dating from 1851, and it's recognized as an intangible cultural heritage. I went with My Taiwan Tour to experience the busiest night of festivities. The 15 clans of the city put on an elaborate series of ceremonies, with one clan presiding over activities each year. Next year the Lin family will be in charge but this year was the Pai and Tong clans turn.
Chupu Altar
For much of the year Chupu Altar sits high above the city and looks a little forlorn and forgotten. But during ghost month it comes to life (in a sense). This altar used to be located in the city center but was moved in 1971 to this spacious site with great views over the port. For ghost month thousands of hours are spent painting every surface of the altar and covering it with lights. The cost of the decorations this year was 5 million NT. All the festival expenses are paid for by donations from the local families. Chupu altar is the main site for giving offerings and the site of a huge feast.
In the midst of ghost month a huge parade winds its way around the city. This is a colorful and noisy procession, every inch of the floats is covered in lights and decoration. They also blast what I call temple rave music, but I'm sure has an actual name, at full volume. The purpose of the procession is to transport paper lanterns and deliver them to the coast. But more on that later. Each family has a large float as do several smaller groups.
Some of the parade
The evening culminates in a dramatic ceremony by the sea. As the lanterns are lined up and ghost money is strewn around a crane prepares to lift a large brightly painted boat. On my visit an offshore typhoon had made the sea very rough and I wondered how the boat would be launched. Complicating the launch is the fact that the boat will be set on fire.
A team of I what I assume are strong swimmers had the risky job of guiding the boat into the waves. A few times people were swept off their feet but it seems they can generally read the waves quite well.
The team are briefed as a large wave crashes behind them
The boat was lowered into the surf and people carrying torches set it alight.
It was pretty quickly an inferno lurching about on the swell but fortunately the backtow of one large wave carried it away from the shore. As it sailed out on its short voyage some impressive fireworks began.
After the boat launch each clan brought their elaborate paper lanterns to the shore. These were set alight in turn and launched into the waves. Some of the designs are extremely intricate and they each look like little temples rather than lanterns.
One of the lanterns, stuffed with ghost money. The paper craftsmanship is pretty amazing
The purpose of the boat and the lanterns is to guide spirits lost at sea to the festivities on land. The further a lantern sails out the better luck the family launching it will have. On a calm day I expect these drift quite prettily out to sea. On my visit they averaged about ten seconds before they were pummeled by a large wave. Hopefully despite this some lost souls were saved!
This was a dramatic and fun festival and I’d definitely attend again!
The Gao family lantern