"ghost month" is a time when taiwanese believe the gates of hell opens and the spirits of ancestors return to the living world for a month-long visit. the fifteenth day of the month, or the full moon, is dedicated to the "good brothers" or ghosts of people who died without any family. most were the early settlers of taiwan. one of the most famous events takes place in the harbour city of keelung in the north of the island. traditionally, on the 14th of the 7th lunar month (aug 14. this year), the evening starts off with a parade where the locals and members of the most influential klans compete against each other to entertain the living and the dead.

the second part of the night is the releasing of the water lanterns, where elaborate lanterns in the shapes of houses and rafts are launched on the sea in badouzi (八斗子) park to guard the lost souls to land.

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