In Taitung, locals call the seventh lunar month Agogo Month, when spirits are believed to return to the human world. Rituals, offerings, and music fill the streets, blending mystery, reverence, and community in a festival unlike any other.
My friends Riga and Balai, Taiwanese musicians who have been collaborating with me, invited me to walk through the city. Along the way, they pointed to two large drums being used to burn sheets of joss paper, or “spirit money.” Smoke curled upwards, believed to carry symbolic wealth into the spirit realm. The sight heightened my curiosity, and soon they led me into a temple filled with ritual activities.
Inside, local residents carefully arranged offerings of fruits, cakes, and drinks. The air was thick with incense, while ritual music played in the background, soft, yet heavy with tension. Riga and Balai explained that this day marked the peak of Agogo Month, when the gates of the spirit world were believed to be open and the souls of ancestors, as well as restless spirits, returned to the human world.
Locals call it Agogo Month, known more broadly as Ghost Month, the seventh month of the lunar calendar. In 2025, it falls between August 23 and September 21. The tradition has deep roots in Chinese culture, particularly within Taoist and Buddhist practices brought to Taiwan by migrants as early as the 17th century. In Buddhist belief, the seventh month is linked to the Mulian legend, where a devoted son saves his mother from the realm of suffering through food offerings. In Taoism, it is known as Zhongyuan Jie, when deities open the gates of the underworld, allowing hungry ghosts to roam the earth. In Taiwan, these traditions blended into a vibrant folk practice, shaped by prayer, ritual music, food, and community gatherings.
Agogo Month is not only about rituals but also about social taboos. People avoid swimming in the sea or rivers (fearing water spirits might pull them under) refrain from hanging damp clothes outside at night, and try not to whistle or wander alone after dark, as these actions are believed to attract spirits. From an anthropological perspective, these prohibitions are not mere superstition but function as social mechanisms to instill caution, manage fear, and reinforce community bonds.
Interestingly, this idea of a “ghost month” is not unique to Taiwan. In Japan, people celebrate Obon, honoring ancestral spirits with lanterns and Bon Odori dances. In Thailand, the colorful Phi Ta Khon festival combines ghostly imagery with folk carnival. In Vietnam, the Vu Lan Festival also draws from the Mulian story, emphasizing filial piety and offerings to wandering souls. These parallels show how societies across Asia have developed different ways to negotiate with the unseen world, reflecting a universal human need: to honor ancestors, engage with the spiritual realm, and maintain social harmony.
The Hungry Ghost Festival itself is rich with symbolism: the burning of joss paper, communal prayers, and ritual music. Each detail serves both spiritual and social functions. Music, for example, is not merely an accompaniment but a medium for communication with spirits and a bond that ties the community together. These collective acts reveal how tradition serves as a meeting point between spirituality, culture, and social life.
Witnessing Agogo Month firsthand revealed how Taiwanese society negotiates between the visible and the invisible worlds. Rituals, music, offerings, and taboos are not only spiritual symbols but also cultural tools for teaching values, remembering connections with ancestors, and strengthening solidarity.
Agogo Month in Taitung is more than a ritual or festival. It is a journey, spiritual, cultural, and social, that affirms harmony and respect for the unseen, offering lessons that remain deeply relevant in today’s modern world.
Bunga Dessri Nur Ghaliyah
Taitung, 6 September 2025
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