66 Yimin Festival Lunar July. The most important annual observance of the Hakka people honours groups ofHakka militia from the late eighteenth century. The main celebration is held at the Yimin Temple in
Fangliao, near Hsinchu. It is marked by offerings to ancestors, music and the ritual slaying of several
dozen force-fed "God Pigs" – an increasingly controversial ceremony that foreigners seldom witness.
August
Ami Harvest Festival is One of the most colourful aboriginal celebrations, centred on dancing, singing and
coming-of-age rituals for young men. Although dates vary from year to year, the most important festival
of the Ami tribe is generally held in late summer, often in August. Ask at villages north of Taitung.
August/September
Ghost Month Begins (guǐyuè) Lunar July 1. The time when the gates of hell are opened and spirits of
"hungry ghosts" haunt the living. Daily rituals include burning incense and paper money, while significant
festivals are held in Keelung, Toucheng and Hengchun at the middle and end of the month.
Ghost Festival (yúlán jié) Lunar July 15. Appeasement ceremonies were held at temples across the
island. Families offer flowers, fruit and three sacrificial offerings: chicken (or duck), pig and fish. Taiwan's
most famous is the Keelung Ghost Festival, where an elaborate night parade is held before thousands of
glowing "water lanterns" are released onto the Keelung River.
Ghost Month Ends at Midnight Lunar July 30. On the last day of Ghost Month, the gates of hell close and
hungry ghosts return to the underworld. In the month's previous hour, contests called "qiǎng gû" –
where men race to climb tall bamboo towers to collect meat and rice dumplings – are held; the most
famous is in Toucheng near Yilan, while a similar event is also staged in Hengchun in the southwest.
Thao Pestle Music Festival. Held during the seventh lunar month in Itashao Village on Sun Moon Lake,
members of the Thao tribe – Taiwan's smallest aboriginal group – pound grain into a stone mortar with
bamboo pestles, creating a traditional harmony.
September
Armed Forces Day September 3. Honours all branches of Taiwan's military while marking the end of
China's eight-year War of Resistance against Japan. Big ceremonies at martyrs' shrines around Taiwan
and military parades in the big cities.
Teachers' Day/Confucius's Birthday September 28. Pays tribute to teachers on the birthday of China's
best-known educator and scholar, Confucius. Unique dawn ceremonies are held at Confucius temples
nationwide, with the biggest at Taipei's Confucius Temple.
September/October
Mid-Autumn Festival (zhôngqiûjié) Lunar August 15. Also known as the "Moon Festival" – families gather
in parks and scenic spots to admire what is regarded as the year's most luminous moon and to share
moon cakes and pomeloes. Since the festival coincides with the autumn harvest, the Taiwanese also
mark it by making offerings to the Earth God for a bountiful harvest.
Double Ninth Day Lunar August 9. Nine is associated with yang or male energy, and on the ninth day of
the ninth lunar month certain , qualities such as male strength are celebrated through various activities,
including hill walking and drinking chrysanthemum wine; kite-flying is also popular. In 1966, the day also
was designated "Senior Citizens Day", and since then, it has been viewed as a time to pay respects to
the elderly.
October
National Day, October 10. Also known as "Double Tenth Day", it commemorates the Wuchang Uprising
that led to the overthrow of the Qing dynasty in 1911 by revolutionaries led by Sun Yat-sen. Military and
public parades and fireworks displays are held in front of the Presidential Building in Taipei.
Retrocession Day, October 25. Marks the official end of fifty years of Japanese colonial rule over Taiwan
on October 25, 1945. The national flag is flown everywhere.