The town of Hengchun in Pingtung County held its shu gu peng pole-climbing event for the ghost festival. Teams race up thick greased poles, and the first to grab the flag at the summit wins — a signature seasonal event for the area.

The winners were the Toucheng qianggu team, which traveled from Yilan County in the northeast, home to a related pole-climbing tradition. The meeting of teams from the two regions drew particular attention.

What the festival marks

The ghost festival falls around the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, honoring ancestors and wandering spirits. The pole-climbing contests are widely explained as growing out of the distribution of offerings after rites. Today they run as regulated competitions with safety equipment.

Poles are coated with tallow to make them slick, and team members link shoulders to form a human ladder. Participants say timing and order matter more than strength.

Ghost month across Chinese communities

The festival is observed across Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asian Chinese communities. Forms differ by place, but remembering ancestors and sharing food with neighbors runs through all of them.

In Korea's Chinese community it continues through family rites and temple services. Some temples in Incheon and Seoul hold services in this period, with dates announced by the temples and associations.