Ghost Festival

The first week of school was busy, but Sarah and I have found some time to have fun. Last Thursday, we went to Keelung (pronounced Jee-lung) to check out the 2008 Mid-summer Ghost Festival. August is the seventh lunar month, during which the Chinese believe the "gates of hell" are opened and the ghosts of their relatives roam the earth. The month is filled with activities to appease their dead ancestors. For instance, they burn incense, set out food, and burn "ghost money" (fake money) in offering to them.

We got to Keelung at 5:00 and parked in a parking garage (because that is the only option over here if you don't own a scooter). The streets were crowded with people waiting for the parade to begin. We saw a four-story Mcdonald's packed with curious onlookers. Interestingly enough, there was a tiny statue of liberty right next to the McD's.


Anyway, the parade had many different vehicles, most blaring music (western and chinese) and all covered from bumper to bumper with lights. Many also had statues of the animals that mark the chinese years (rat, chicken, etc.). However, the floats and presentations seemed to repeat after a while and we decided to leave. The only problem is that our parking garage opened onto the parade route, so we had to wait until 9:30 before we could leave. Needless to say, neither of us really care to go back for another ghost festival.