TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Keelung’s Ghost Month celebrations traditionally begin with the unlocking of a metal door at the Laodagong Temple (老大公廟).

A representative from the Chang-Liao-Chien (張廖簡) clan presided over the ceremony, which took place at 2 p.m. on Sunday (Aug. 4). After the ceremony, the door's opening is thought to allow the souls of the deceased to enter the world and be worshipped by residents for one month.

Chiu Pei-lin (邱佩琳), Keelung deputy mayor, attended the event, noting that the activity not only commemorates the start of Ghost Month, but also a month-long festival in Keelung now in its 170th year. She expected Ghost Month activities to inject new vitality into the community, and attract more pilgrims to Keelung, per CNA.

In the past, Keelung was rife with rival clans who fought each other with deadly consequences. As a means of making peace, clans agreed to stop fighting during Ghost Month, using the time to bury and worship their dead and construct the Laodaodong Temple.

Organizing local Ghost Month celebrations was then shared by 11 clans on a rotational basis. Instead of fighting, each year different clans would compete against one another by hosting grander and grander celebrations, which included parades, temporary altars, water lanterns, and of course, feasts.

According to local customs, after being locked away all year, the spirits of ancestors and the deceased are quite hungry when they return to the world, requiring lots of fruit, and prepared foods like fish, chicken, pork, and other local delicacies. They also enjoy entertainment such as music and parades.

The Keelung City Government noted that some of the more popular activities for Ghost Month this year include the lighting of the lanterns at the Zhupu Altar (主普壇) on Aug. 15, followed by a lantern parade from Qingan Temple on Aug. 16, a water lantern release on Aug. 17, a Pudu feast of offerings for the spirits at Zhongzheng Park on Aug. 18, and finally, the closing of the “gate to the underworld” on Sept. 2.