Why is everyone leaving food outside? The traditions behind Taiwan's Ghost Month

If you're in Taiwan this August, you may be surprised to find tables outside shops overflowing with fruit, instant noodles, snacks, soft drinks, and bottles of rice wine, all neatly arranged near their entrances. As evening falls, the smell of burning incense drifts through the streets, while wisps of smoke rise from piles of joss paper set alight along the roadside.

No, it's not a neighborhood picnic. It's Ghost Month.

This year, Ghost Month begins on Thursday (Aug. 13), the first day of the seventh lunar month, when the “Ghost Gate” is traditionally believed to open (鬼門開). According to Taiwanese folk beliefs, spirits are allowed to return to the human world for one month. 

Across Taiwan, families, businesses, temples, and entire communities prepare offerings to welcome these wandering spirits, not out of fear, but as a gesture of respect.

For visitors, the month offers one of the island's most distinctive cultural experiences. 

More than just ghost stories

Despite its spooky name, Ghost Month isn't Taiwan's version of Halloween.

Rather than celebrating ghosts, the tradition focuses on remembering those who have passed away and showing compassion toward spirits who may have no descendants to care for them. Many of the customs practiced today draw from a blend of Taoist and Buddhist beliefs that have evolved over centuries.

The most common ritual is Pudu (普渡), an offering ceremony in which food, drinks, fruit, incense, and joss paper are prepared for wandering spirits. While families often hold these ceremonies at home, businesses, factories, office buildings, and even government agencies frequently organize their own collective offerings.

For many Taiwanese, it's simply something that's always been part of the calendar, much like preparing a Thanksgiving dinner elsewhere in the world.

Even engineers at semiconductor companies, bank employees in business suits, or office workers at tech firms will choose a specific day to hold their own Pudu ceremonies in the middle of the workday. Outside their workplaces, long tables are lined with fruit, snacks, drinks, and incense as employees gather briefly to pay their respects before returning to work.

For many businesses, it's a long-standing tradition — a way of wishing for safety, smooth operations, and good fortune for the months ahead.

Tables of food everywhere

One of the first things many foreigners notice during Ghost Month is the sudden appearance of temporary offering tables.

Outside convenience stores, family-run restaurants, apartment buildings, and office entrances, folding tables are covered with everything from fresh fruit to bags of chips, canned drinks, and instant noodles. Some offerings are surprisingly modern, with cookies, sports drinks, and popular snack brands placed alongside more traditional items.

The preparations extend well beyond the streets. In the weeks leading up to Ghost Month, supermarkets and hypermarkets across Taiwan will fill their entrances and aisles with towering stacks of snacks, beverages, cooking oil, fruit, and ready-made Pudu offering sets.

For many families and businesses, shopping for Ghost Month is part of the annual tradition, much like preparing for a major holiday.

The offerings aren't meant as literal meals for spirits. Instead, they represent hospitality and respect, symbolically welcoming wandering spirits so they won't go hungry. Once the ceremony is over, much of the food is shared among family members, friends, or coworkers, turning what begins as a religious ritual into a communal meal.

"Maybe wait until next month"

There’s plenty of advice during Ghost Month — especially from older relatives.

Some people avoid swimming, because they believe water spirits are more active during this time. Others try not to whistle at night, move into a new home, or schedule major life events such as weddings.

Many people also avoid stepping over offerings left on sidewalks or taking casual selfies in front of religious ceremonies.

Not everyone follows these customs today, and plenty of Taiwanese people go about life as usual. Still, these traditions remain familiar enough that people still jokingly reminds friends, "Maybe wait until next month."

Water lanterns are released during the 2025 Keelung Ghost Festival. (Keelung Mid-Summer Ghost Festival Facebook)

Experiencing Ghost Month respectfully

For visitors, there's no need to change travel plans. Ghost Month can actually be one of the most fascinating times to experience Taiwan's living traditions. 

If an offering ceremony is taking place, observing quietly and avoiding contact with the food or ritual items unless invited is considered respectful. Many temples welcome visitors, while local festivals held throughout the month offer a rare glimpse into customs that have been passed down for generations.

Among them, the Keelung Ghost Festival stands out as one of Taiwan's most iconic Ghost Month celebrations. With a history spanning more than 160 years, the festival reaches one of its highlights with the Water Lantern Ceremony, when illuminated lanterns are released into the sea after sunset. 

According to local tradition, the lanterns guide wandering spirits on their journey while carrying prayers for peace, safety, and good fortune. Set against the nighttime harbor, the ceremony is both culturally significant and visually unforgettable.

Belief in ghosts isn't necessary to appreciate Ghost Month. For many Taiwanese, the month is about honoring tradition, remembering those who have passed away, and expressing respect through rituals that have endured for generations.