Upcoming Spirit Festivals in Japan and Taiwan

The spirits of the dead are back in the world of the living, or so it’s believed in many parts of East Asia. And Japan and Taiwan – where many of our students are from – will have festivals in their honor.

So what does this mean for our students? You’ll find some relevant questions below as well as words and phrases (bolded) worth teaching when discussing this topic.

Obon in Japan 🪦

In Japan, it’s time for “Obon.” Celebrated in mid-August, Obon is one of the country’s biggest holidays.

How many days off do you get for Obon?
What’s your favorite holiday? What about your least favorite?
How important would you say Obon is to you?

The festival is traditionally about paying respect to ancestors. As an anthropologist explains, the traditional Japanese family “is not only about the living members but it also extends into the past and future, with everyone working towards a common goal of ensuring the families’ success both in the present and future.”

These days, ancestors play a much smaller role in the family than before. However many traditions relating to them are very much alive, and the holiday remains largely centered on the family. For example, many Japanese people return to their hometowns and visit family graves, where they pray to their ancestors.

What do you normally do for Obon? Do you have any family traditions?
How often do people pray to their ancestors? What do people typically say to their ancestors?
Do you believe it’s important to pay respects to your ancestors?

They’ll also put offerings in front of their family shrine at home.

Do you or anyone you know have a shrine at home? What do you/they put there? What offerings do you/they make?
Would you like to have a shrine at home? Why? Why not?

If you look closely, you’ll see a cucumber and eggplant at the top of the photo. Many families make little horses out of cucumbers and cows out of eggplants. These are traditionally believed to transport the ancestors between the world of the living and the world of the dead.

The cucumber horses will bring the ancestors to their loved ones quickly while the eggplant cows will take them back to the world of the dead slowly. In recent years, people have gotten creative with their cucumbers and eggplants, making airplanes, ships, and other creative forms of transport.

I heard that Japanese people make cucumber horses and eggplant cows for Obon. What do they represent? Have you ever made them?
In your culture, how are spirits or souls transported between the world of the living and the world of the dead? And how is the afterlife usually portrayed?
What childhood memories do you have of Obon?

At the end of the festival, people do a special send off for the ancestral spirits. This usually involves some traditional dancing around a drummer. Most famously, in Kyoto, people light giant bonfires on the surrounding mountains.

Have you ever participated in an Obon festival dance or danced with your friends or family? If so, what kind of dancing did you do?
When was the last time you went to an Obon festival? What did you do there?
Is there a special way your town or city celebrates Obon?

Ghost Month in Taiwan 🙏

In Taiwan, the entire seventh month of the lunar calendar is considered “Ghost Month” or “Ghost Season.” While in Japan, the focus is on the spirits of the ancestors, in Taiwan the festival focuses on spirits in general.

For starters, the gates of the underworld are believed to open on the first day of the month, releasing all spirits back into the world of the living. This spooky day happens to be today, August 8th!

I heard that the gates of the underworld open on the first day of Ghost Month. Have you done anything in preparation?
What do you think about the spirits who come out? Are they good or bad?

A lot of these spirits are hungry, so families, shops, and businesses all make offerings of food. There are many reasons people choose to feed the hungry spirits. For example, some believe these offerings help appease them so they don’t make mischief, while others believe it’s simply common courtesy to help out a “good brother” (a euphemism for the spirits).

Do you or anyone you know offer any food to the hungry spirits? If so, what are the main motivations for making these offerings?
I heard people refer to these spirits as “good brothers.” Why is this?
How come the spirits are hungry? Do they not have food in the underworld?

An interesting fact is that while offerings to gods and ancestors are placed inside homes and temples, offerings to spirits are often left outside.

What is done with all the food after the spirits are done eating?
How do the spirits eat physical food?
Do temples perform any ceremonies to appease the spirits as well?

Fruit and dried foods such as cookies and instant noodles are popular offerings to spirits. A stick of incense is often also put into the offerings as well.

I read that instant noodles are often offered to the spirits. Why are these a popular choice? And how would they cook them?
How do people choose what to offer to the spirits? Do people offer any other things like money or clothes?
Why is incense placed into the offerings? Do the spirits eat that too?

Because of all the restless spirits wandering around, there are a lot of taboos during this month. For example, most people avoid getting married or buying a house this time of year. Many other activities, such as swimming, going to the beach, traveling, and even whistling are discouraged.

Are there any things that you avoid doing during Ghost Month?
Why do some people avoid swimming or going to the beach during Ghost Month?
If people aren’t buying homes during this month, does that mean the price of homes goes down?

👋 That’s It For Now!

We hope you enjoyed learning about the spooky events coming up in two of our students’ home countries. Happy Tutoring!