Religious festivals
	The biggest religious festival of the year at Lungshan Temple is the Festival of Dead Spirits, which falls in the 7th lunar month (usually some time in August by the solar calendar). Ever since I was a little girl I’ve always loved the Festival of Dead Spirits because of all the strange customs connected with it. Most importantly, they put out a whole lot of delicious offerings. In the old days they always marked the occasion by setting lighted
lantern-boats afloat on the water and playing various traditional games. The worshipping we do in connection with the Festival of Dead Spirits has more than one purpose. It was an annual expression of gratitude, of course, but there was more to it than just that. In the old days most people didn’t very often get a chance to really stuff their guts, so when these extravagant festivals ended everybody was always thrilled to chow down on the leftover offerings. It’s a totally different world today, however. We can eat our fill of fish and meat every day of the week, so the government is now making a strong effort to persuade people to cut down on waste. As a result, you no longer see the extravagance of past years, but the Festival of Dead Spirits is still a really fun time! In addition to the Festival of Dead Spirits, all eyes in Taipei turn to Lungshan Temple around the time of the Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the second lunar month (which usually falls at any time from early February to early March). Every year the temple is hung with countless lanterns of eye-popping creativity and color, fashioned by skilled craftsmen in the form of birds, insects, legendary figures, etc. The festive atmosphere of the occasion is enhanced by the Chinese custom of writing riddles and hanging them from all the lanterns. Huge crowds throng to Lungshan Temple during the Lantern Festival, which is perhaps even more popular than the Festival of Dead Spirits. However, the Lantern Festival is just a celebration that highlights a fun type of folk art, and has none of the religious significance of the Festival of Dead Spirits. The atmosphere is totally different.