Keelung Ghost Festival – Ceremonies, Organizations and Power

• Main Authors: Lien Ming-wei, 連明偉
• Other Authors: 陳家秀
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/61355530489746668569

碩士 === 國立臺北教育大學 === 社會科教育學系碩士班 === 97 === Keelung Ghost Festival has been taking place over 150 years since 1855 A.D. In this modern and scientific society, Keelung Ghost Festival not only doesn’t decline but grows in strength. Even to the extent that it was included “The Twelve Festivals of Taiwan”, “The Important Folk Custom” by the government of Taiwan. The reason is the special running mode – taking place by organizations of the same ancestry in turn. The organization of the same ancestry of every year always wants to transcend the organization of the same ancestry of last year. Taiwan government stared to give this festival subsidies years ago that also makes it stronger and stronger. The time of Keelung Ghost Festival is one month. It includes many ceremonies and every ceremony has its own culture meaning. These ceremonies bemoan the state of the universe and pity the fate of mankind. But there is a fear of ghosts hiding under this kind of sympathy. The organizations of the same ancestry in Keelung is very different with other organizations of the same ancestry in Taiwan. The most important objective of The organizations of the same ancestry in Keelung is taking place Keelung Ghost Festival year by year. So the amount of members and money is very important to these organizations of the same ancestry. Their existence is the existence of Keelung Ghost Festival. The power came after the subsidies of the government. The show of enforcing and resisting of power plays behind Keelung Ghost Festival every year. If the power between the government and the organizations of the same ancestry in Keelung could be balance or harmonious, the radiance of Keelung Ghost Festival would shine more.