Detailed Introduction
On the first day of the seventh lunar month, folk belief says that King Yama opens the gates of the underworld to let the spirits return and enjoy the offerings of the living, until the ghost gate closes again on the 30th. For this whole month, Taiwanese lay out offering tables and softly call the spirits "good brothers," folding both reverence and tenderness into every small detail. The Zhongyuan Pudu (the universal salvation of the Ghost Festival) is the most important sacrificial event of Taiwan's seventh lunar month, and the largest and most distinctive Ghost Month tradition in folk belief.
Ghost Month Customs and Taboos
The seventh lunar month carries a heavy folk atmosphere in Taiwan. On the first day, the "opening of the ghost gate," temples hold rites such as "opening the niche gate" or "raising the lantern pole" to let the good brothers (a respectful term for the spirits) know they may return to the human world. Many taboos circulate through the month:
● Don't swim at night — water ghosts seek substitutes to take their place.
● Don't hang laundry out at night — the shape of the clothes resembles a human form and easily draws spirits to attach themselves.
● Don't whistle — the sound will call the good brothers to you.
● Don't tap someone on the shoulder — a person carries a protective "true flame" on each shoulder and on the crown of the head, and a tap can snuff one out, leaving them vulnerable.
● Don't say the word "ghost" — use the respectful "good brothers" instead.
● Avoid major undertakings such as moving house, opening a business, or marrying.
Modern people may not follow every rule, but these ideas remain deeply rooted in Taiwanese society.
How the Pudu Unfolds
The 15th day, Zhongyuan proper, is the peak of the pudu. Households set up offering tables at their doors or under the arcade, laid with abundant "three sacrifices" (pork, chicken, fish), fruit, snacks, drinks, and instant noodles — modern Taiwanese pudu spreads grow ever more lavish, with some even offering whole cases of beer and all kinds of imported treats. Incense is planted in the offerings, and gold and silver spirit money is burned for the good brothers to use. The table must include a paper image of the "Pudu Lord" (the Burning-Face Great Being, also called Da Shi Ye), an incarnation of Guanyin who keeps order during the pudu so the good brothers do not fight over the offerings.
Offering Taboos
● Don't stand chopsticks upright in the rice — that is the "foot-of-the-bed rice" offered to the dead.
● Offerings for the good brothers should be more lavish than those for the gods — a show of generosity, lest the good brothers be displeased.
● Don't include guava or tomato — the ancients regarded these two fruits, whose seeds pass through and out of the body, as "unclean."
● After the pudu, the offerings are best taken back and eaten soon rather than left out for long.
Major Zhongyuan Celebrations
Taiwan's grandest Zhongyuan festival is the "Keelung Ghost Festival," running a full month from the "opening of the niche gate" on the first of the seventh lunar month to the "closing of the niche gate" at month's end. Its core activities include raising the lantern pole (to summon the lonely souls of land and water), the main altar rites (with eleven surnames taking turns to host), the release of water lanterns (lotus-shaped lanterns floated on the Keelung River to guide the spirits in the water to come and receive the offerings — a hauntingly beautiful and spectacular sight), and parade floats (elaborate decorated tableaux built by each surname group). The Keelung Ghost Festival has over 170 years of history, is listed as a National Important Folk Custom, and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
Grabbing the Lonely-Ghost Offerings
"Qianggu" (grabbing the lonely-ghost offerings) is the most heart-stopping part of the Zhongyuan Pudu, most famous at Toucheng in Yilan. After the pudu rites end, several tall "lonely-ghost platforms" (some ten-odd meters high), their poles slathered in beef tallow, are raised in the square, with offerings and flags set at the top. Competing teams must climb the slick poles bare-handed to seize the flags and offerings at the summit. Whoever grabs the "fair-wind flag" is believed to win the blessing of the good brothers. Combining athletic contest with religious meaning, it is one of the most singular parts of Taiwan's Zhongyuan culture.