Taiwan Festival Features Record 2780 Tables, 210 Pigs for Ghost Month Ritual

The Dongshih Portu Temple in Chiayi County, Taiwan, hosted its 181st annual "Eleven Cornerheads Ghost Festival" on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, a significant cultural event steeped in history. This year's observance broke previous records, featuring a staggering 2780 banquet tables set for offerings, 160 tons of rice, and 210 whole pigs.

The scale of the offerings was further amplified by over a thousand Costco "American-style roast chickens," creating a visually impressive and abundant spectacle. Temple chairman Chen Ching-tang highlighted the event's origins in the Qing Dynasty's Daoguang era (1845), when floods altered the Beigang River, dividing villages and leaving numerous spirits unattended. The temple's "Portu Mother" deity then guided the annual ritual to care for both the spirits and the surviving descendants.

A unique feature of the festival is the "Lid Lantern Pole" (笠燈篙), a bamboo structure adorned with a conical hat and lanterns, serving as a notice and invitation to the spirits. This year's pole reached a height of 9 feet and 0.01 inches, with its five-colored cloth measuring 7 feet and 2 inches. The "daylight night offering" (見天夜普) tradition, where offerings are made without a tent, is another distinctive aspect of this ancient ritual.

Following the ceremony, all the donated food items will be organized and distributed to underprivileged groups, extending the festival's spirit of generosity. The "Eleven Cornerheads Ghost Festival" is recognized as a designated folk custom of Chiayi County, underscoring its cultural importance and continuity.

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The "Lid Lantern Pole" is a notice and invitation to the spirits. This year's pole reached a height of 9 feet and 0.01 inches, with its five-colored cloth measuring 7 feet and 2 inches.