The Month When Ghosts and Spirits Wander… Among Us (Article Reshared)

Note: This is the second article this year that I wrote for the Digital Lab of the MAA. ‘Ghost Month’, or 鬼月, has been something that I really wanted to write about for some time. Originally I wanted to include the paper money collection in the post of Lunar New Year in February, but decided to focus on the collections of dragon theme.

I received many warm comments about photos of my family that I used in the previous article, so I decided to ask again my parents if they could take some photos of the Ghost Month worshipping. However, a long-waiting family trip happened to take place during the Ghost Month. I then turned toward the powerful internet and received an incredible number of photos, all from strangers. I’m really grateful for the wonderful support and I hope the article would do justice to them.

For those who love dressing up for Halloween or celebrating Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead), learning about Taiwan’s 鬼月(Guǐ yuè) or Ghost Festival is a must. Locals believe that during this month, ghosts and spirits leave the underworld to wander among the living. Sounds scary? Maybe. But what is the story behind the Ghost Festival?

For the rest of the article, please visit the Digital Lab MAA:

[embed]The Month when Ghosts Wander... Among Us - MAA Digital Lab Every year for a month ghosts and spirits leave the afterlife and wander among us. Guey-Mei explains the story behind…www.maadigitallab.org

Four stacks of different paper money. From left to right and back to front: 壽金 (shòu jīn, life span gold), 四方金 (sìfāng jīn, four-direction gold), 往生錢 (wǎngshēng qián, passed life money), and finally, 更衣 (gēng yī). These four types constitute the starter-pack for the Ghost Festival. Image credit: 我舅舅 (my uncle, second brother of my mother).