A Stroll Through the Keelung Ghost Festival – A Lantern Procession | This Parade Isn't What You Think

Every summer, during the Ghost Festival in the seventh lunar month, the streets of Keelung are filled with the clashing sounds of suona, large and small gongs, erhu, and sanxian instruments, accompanied by the blast of fireworks and cannons. This month, Keelung takes on a bustling atmosphere unlike any other city. On this day, clansmen from 15 surnames take to the streets, carrying intricately carved Dou Lanterns (dou lanterns) representing their respective clan spirits. They parade through the main thoroughfares of Keelung City, where visitors can enjoy the spectacle of the parades competing against each other to the accompaniment of Beiguan music. This is a competition for the sophisticated and artistic!

- Welcoming the Dou Lanterns | Introduction to the Keelung Ghost Festival -

The Dou Lanterns are an important symbol of family ties.

One hundred and sixty years ago, the Zhangzhou people who cultivated the Keelung Harbor area and the Quanzhou people who developed the Keelung River area clashed countless times over resources. The accumulated resentment eventually led to a large-scale brawl, leaving both sides injured and up to a hundred people dead.

Elders and gentry from both sides buried the victims together, establishing the Lao Da Gong Cemetery. They agreed to cease fighting and conflict, replacing geographical ties with "blood ties," forming clan organizations based on surnames. During the Ghost Festival in the seventh lunar month, they took turns hosting the Lao Da Gong sacrifice. During the Pudu Festival, they replaced bloodshed and head-breaking with "competitions in formations"—the beginning of the Keelung Ghost Festival.

On the 13th day of the seventh lunar month, the Keelung Ghost Festival includes a procession of lanterns to welcome the lanterns back to the Qing'an Temple. This ritual simultaneously embodies the cultural spirit of "blood ties replacing geographical ties" and "competitions in formations replacing head-breaking."