鬼月 Ghost Month
August 16th is the first day of Ghost Month, which is July 1st of the lunar calendar is the day of 鬼門開, the gate to the Underworld 陰間 will open on this day, and the ghost will return to the world of the living 陽間/人間, and stay whole month until July 30th of the lunar calendar.
The day will be September 14th this year, and the gate to the Underworld will close 鬼門關.
It means that from August 16th to September 14th, you have to follow some rules for the whole month.
Such as
- Don’t hang out after dark.
- Don’t whistle.
- Don’t watch or talk about the movie or story of the ghost.
- Don’t go swimming.
- Don’t tap someone on the shoulder.
- Don’t hang your laundry out to dry at night.
These taboos禁忌 are the most common, so whether you think they are superstitions or not, I suggest you follow them because you don't want the wandering ghosts孤魂野鬼 to haunt you, right?
Wandering ghosts also called 好兄弟
It's bad luck to say the word "鬼" this month, so we called them "good brothers" instead.
Also, things like weddings, travel, and other celebrations are avoided during Ghost Month.
Because we don't want the supernatural to come to us.
中元節 Zhongyuan Festival
Also known as Ghost Festival or Hungry Ghost Festival. on July 15th of the lunar calendar. Just as Halloween is the time dedicated to remembering the dead, this special day is observed as a celebration from ancient times.
Ghost Month is more like a contemporary custom. According to Taiwanese customs, the dead who died by accident and didn't have a family to worship need to be worshipped to rest in peace. So many temples will worship these people during the Zhongyuan Festival, and since the 15th of July in the lunar calendar has other sacrificial activities, we will choose other days in July to worship. Therefore, this month become the ghost month.
The sacrificial activities of 中元節 in Taiwan
中元普渡 (Zhongyuan Pudu)
On July 15th of the lunar calendar, temples all over Taiwan prepare feasts to feed the wandering ghosts. People light incense燒香 and burn joss paper燒紙錢 so that the ghosts won't haunt people.
Besides temples, families and businesses also make offerings to the wandering ghosts.
The offerings are placed on tables outside so the ghosts won’t enter people’s home.
搶孤（chiang gu）
The people will set up a flagpole and place some offerings at the top for people to snatch to scare away wandering ghosts.
跳鍾馗 (Tiao Zhong Kui)
鍾馗 is a Taoist deity in Chinese mythology, traditionally regarded as a vanquisher of ghosts and evil beings.
It is said that dressing up as 鍾馗 and dancing along the door can have the effect of exorcising ghosts. This activity is usually done after 普渡, with the help of 鍾馗's magic power to drive away the lingering ghosts.
放水燈 Release Water Lanterns
The 水燈 is usually in the shape of a palace made of paper paste, and its purpose is to notify the drowned to attend the 普渡. This ceremony is also called 照冥(zhaoming).
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