The origins of the Chinese Ghost Festival can be traced back to ancient agricultural civilizations.
At that time, there was the “Autumn Tasting” ceremony, so rituals were held during this period to
pray for good luck. Later, the ideas of Buddhism and Taoism had a significant impact on the formation
of the festival.
According to Taoism, this is the day when heaven sends its gods into the world,
examining and evaluating the world’s goodness and evil, as an expression of reverence and gratitude
for the goodness and evil of life.
People in areas near the water would release boats during the Ghost Festival as a token of
hope, and this custom is still retained in many areas, where wishes are left on the boats, and it
is believed that the wishes will be fulfilled by following the river, and in some areas, although the
boats are not released, rowing competitions are held to celebrate the festival.
