Taiwan has a large Tao and Buddhist population. The beliefs of these two major religions have blended with traditional Chinese beliefs into the tradition of Ghost Month. This is also in line with Confucianism, the dominant philosophical system here. Confucious once said "respect spirits, but also keep your distance." That's exactly what happens during Ghost Month!
I learned about Ghost Month. Ghost Month lasts for an entire lunar month, which is around 30 days. On the 15th of the month, they will celebrate Ghost Festival, the peak of the tradition. During the Seventh Lunar Month (which was around August this year), Taiwanese people will do a lot of rituals in order to keep the ghosts happy!
In order to avoid the cold, dark energy of the dead -- which is more common during Ghost Month -- there are some things you should not do. You should not point at the moon, because the moon goddess may be offended and chop off your ears! You should not whistle or hang up laundry, because you may attract ghosts. You should not swim at night, because the ghost of someone who drowned may drag you out with them. You should not stay out too late, because ghosts are more active then.
You should pray to the matchmaking god to find or keep love during the first seven days of the month!
