On August 30, Premier Sean Chen said the Keelung Mid-Summer Ghost Festival is not only an expression of compassion for the departed but also a celebration of folklore, tradition and mysticism which makes a deep impression on foreign visitors and communicates citizens' wishes for good weather, peace and prosperity.
Chen made the remark during a speech at the opening ceremony for the festival's water lantern parade. He then watched the parade, which was led by flag cars, lantern cars and floats with traditional decorations and included performances by folk culture organizations.
The premier also recounted that a German broadcaster who came to Taiwan to report on the event last year was deeply moved not only by the citizens' respect for traditional culture but also because the tens of thousands of ceremony participants did not leave any garbage behind. The Taiwanese people showed that in addition to working to continue traditional festivals, they have the virtue to cherish their environment, Chen said.
The Keelung City Government said that the Mid-Summer Ghost Festival is an essential part of the area's intangible cultural heritage. The events associated with it, which commenced with the opening ritual at the sacred deity gate of Laodagong Temple on August 17, continue for almost a month. They include ceremonies that have been passed down for over 100 years, static and dynamic artistic and cultural activities and fun events with giveaways for the audience.
In a first for the festival, this year the government invited fun-loving spectators to assemble into "ghost tour groups" to join in the most-watched event, the water lantern parade, to make the festival even more interesting and unique.
This year's hosts, the Chen-Hu-Yao Association, stated that the Keelung Ghost Festival is one of the 12 most important traditional festivals in Taiwan. The association selected "The Sparkling Dragon of 2012, The Light of Taiwan" as the festival theme to represent the spirit of Keelung's people, who have held the event in their community for 158 years.