No need to worry about traveling in the seventh lunar month！Exclusive ghost month event info

Text/Photo report by Chen Guanxin, MOOK Travel Life Network

 

With the gates of the underworld opening during the seventh lunar month, readers who love to explore might be looking for some themed activities to join in. Starting now, ghost month events are kicking off all over Taiwan—from long-standing traditions like the Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan Festival) and the Pole-Climbing Competition (Qianggu), to brand-new spooky carnivals that promise a lively and fun ghost month experience.

The 159-year-old Keelung Ghost Festival is helmed this year by the Xie family clan association. In keeping with tradition, a water lantern parade will be held on the 14th day of the seventh lunar month (August 20), featuring large lotus-shaped lantern bases and floating lanterns. Last year’s popular “Ghost Tour” makes a comeback this year as the “Ghost Train”—on the day of the water lantern parade, actors dressed as ghosts will liven up the ride in the train cars, joining the public for the festivities. Starting August 10, performances will also be held at the Keelung Cultural Center plaza, main hall, as well as in the Barcelona and Dragon Soaring communities. This year, in addition to over 20 domestic performance groups, dance and music troupes from Brazil, the United States, Bolivia, Japan, and more will also take part.

 

Additionally, this year’s water dance display at Marine Square will center around the theme of “dancing with light and water,” using alternating visuals of water and light to interpret the spirit of the Keelung Ghost Festival. The water dance performances are scheduled every 30 minutes, transforming the square into a large-scale light art canvas through water curtain animations that showcase the core values of competition and unity in the festival. The Tianliao River, Civic Square, and Heritage Boulevard will feature installation art, with local arts groups and student clubs taking the lead to kick off a grand cultural performance.

 

[Info]

Website: http://goo.gl/uZX8c2

 

For the first time this year, Chiayi County has united several temples—including Pu-teh Chengde Temple, Taibao Fugi Temple, Lutao Chenghuang Temple, and Minsi Dabeiyeh Temple—to jointly host the “Taiwan Exclusive: Gods & Ghosts Legend,” a ghost month carnival. Activities include the Torchlight Night Parade, Qixi Festival, Ghost Festival, and Dabeiyeh Festival. Among them, the “Torchlight Night Parade” in Bu-tou Gou is the only century-old torch-lit ritual in Taiwan for driving away ghosts.

 

In addition to the spooky carnival, there’s also a “Gods & Ghosts Cuisine” menu that combines local agricultural and seafood specialties—such as fresh oysters from Dongshi, fishery products from Bu-tou, and pineapples from Minsi—to create ghost-themed delicacies like fried shrimp floss with ghost motifs and seafood coffin bread.

 

[Info]

Website: www.god-ghost.com.tw

Every year on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, Hengchun holds a pole-climbing competition. Locals form teams to climb greased wooden poles topped with a platform, while surrounding activities include the Pole-Climbing Competition, food fights, and a performing arts carnival.

 

This year’s event kicks off on August 20, with the Chenghuangye Night Parade starting at 5:00 PM, followed by a hot music band competition in the evening. The main highlight—the Pole-Climbing Competition—begins at 9:10 PM on the following day. Over the two-day event, performers such as Jolin Tsai, Alien Huang, Ricky Hsueh, Wu Shen-Mei, and Guo Ting-Yun will also take the stage.

 

[Info]

Website: http://goo.gl/V22D4s

 

The famous Toucheng Pole-Climbing Competition in Yilan County, which originated in the Qing Dynasty and is typically held in the middle of the seventh lunar month, makes a comeback this year after a two-year hiatus. The event has expanded in scale and moved from Wushi to the Toucheng Wenhua No.1 Cultural Park. The highlight—the Pole-Climbing Night—will take place on September 4, with a total of 16 teams competing for a top prize of NT$200,000.

 

Additionally, a Ghost Month Makeup Parade will be held on the evening of September 3 at 6:00 PM at the Toucheng Sports Park, featuring water lantern floats, electric-powered San-Taizi performances, lion dances, and northern-style wind-and-percussion music, giving visitors a rare chance to experience Taiwan’s traditional Ghost Month street carnival.

 

[Info]

Website: http://goo.gl/QCnXEE

 

 

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