TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Keelung’s Ghost Festival, now in its 171st year, stands as one of Taiwan’s most enduring and iconic cultural celebrations.

The event draws visitors into a month-long tradition of rituals, music, and lantern-lit ceremonies. Observances span the entire seventh lunar month, according to CNA and Keelung For a Walk.

The seventh lunar month is recognized as Ghost Month in Taiwan. During this time, the gates of the underworld are believed to open, allowing spirits to visit the living, while families and communities hold rituals to honor them.

This year’s festival began on Wednesday with a lantern lighting at the Zhupu altar, a major ritual that launched the main festivities, which run from the 12th to the 15th day of the lunar month, Wednesday through Saturday. Lanterns adorned the altar, and fireworks lit the sky to guide wandering spirits.

Beiguan musicians performed, followed by a purification ritual led by Taoist priests. Thursday featured a lantern procession, with surname associations carrying three-tier wooden lanterns symbolizing prosperity.

Friday highlights the water lantern parade, which includes floats, folk performances, and a short dance by mascots from Japan's Kure City, Keelung’s sister city. Lanterns will be floated out to sea at 11 p.m., a ritual believed to guide spirits and bring luck.

Saturday marks the public Pudu ritual at the main altar, while families, communities, and temples conduct private offerings, including incense, fruit, ginger, salt, personal care items, and paper money. The public ritual features meat, vegetarian, and Western-style tables for foreign spirits.

The festival concludes on Sunday with the Zhong Kui ritual, which sends spirits away. Ceremonies end on the first day of the eighth lunar month, when Laodagong Temple closes its doors until the next Ghost Month.