Interior Ministry Unveils Science Behind Ghost Festival's “Gate Opening” Myth

Today marks the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, the Ghost Festival, with folk customs commonly known as the opening of the ghost gates and the main highlights of the universal salvation ceremonies being lively observed across Taiwan. Whenever this traditional festival arrives, various daily taboos and warnings inevitably circulate throughout society, ranging from avoiding casual swimming and midnight whistling to restrictions against random photography and tapping people on the shoulders. These exhaustive regulations often leave the younger generation feeling at a loss and even instill fear. In response, the Ministry of the Interior specifically addressed and clarified these widely circulated daily taboos of the seventh lunar month on the internet, emphasizing that most of these claims are folk customs and accumulated experiences passed down over long periods. As long as the public maintains benevolent intentions and an attitude of respect toward nature, there is no need to be excessively frightened or experience anxiety in daily life.

Taking the most widely circulated taboo that elders frequently and earnestly reiterate—"avoiding swimming"—as an example, the Ministry of the Interior provided an explanation from scientific and environmental perspectives. The seventh lunar month generally falls around August in the Gregorian calendar, a period that coincides with Taiwan's hottest midsummer climate and is also a frequent season for typhoons to form in the Northwest Pacific and strike Taiwan. During this time, beaches and streams are often accompanied by volatile weather, sudden river surges caused by afternoon thunderstorms, as well as strong currents and undertows, making them inherently high-risk periods for water activities. In the past, to effectively dissuade people from engaging in swimming activities in unstable weather or dangerous waters and to reduce the incidence of drowning accidents, ancestors used tales of ghosts and deities or folk taboos to achieve warning and deterrent effects. Therefore, the saying about wandering spirits seizing scapegoats essentially reflects reverence for the unpredictable risks of nature and substantive protection of life safety.

Aside from swimming, another common taboo is "avoiding midnight whistling." Many people have heard from elders since childhood that whistling in the middle of the night will attract lonely wandering ghosts or spirits, thus regarding it as a major taboo. However, the Ministry of the Interior pointed out that in Taiwan's early agrarian or social environments, this taboo actually had very pragmatic security and daily living considerations. In the past, when streetlights were absent and nocturnal security was relatively lacking, nighttime was often the peak period for petty thieves and burglars to operate. Local security organizations or residents frequently used specific whistle blows as secret codes for night patrols, communication, or crime prevention. Whistling aimlessly late at night not only easily disrupted nocturnal peace and security judgments, but might also be mistaken for a criminal's secret code or a provocative act. Therefore, elders forbade children from whistling at midnight primarily to maintain community peace and remind them to pay attention to household safety, which only later evolved to be imbued with supernatural connotations.

From the perspectives of cultural anthropology and sociology, the various taboos and universal salvation rituals of the seventh lunar month are actually a unique psychological adjustment mechanism and interpersonal bonding method in Taiwan's folk society. Taiwanese society has long integrated the philosophies of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, maintaining an attitude of respecting ghosts and deities while keeping them at a distance regarding life, death, and spirits. The seventh lunar month is called the month of gratitude or filial piety. Through the rituals of universal salvation for lonely wandering ghosts, it is not only an expression of compassion for unclaimed spirits, but also implicitly contains the humility of the living toward nature and unknown forces. The timely intervention of the Ministry of the Interior to interpret these folk customs helps correct public misconceptions about traditional culture, allowing people to understand that behind these taboos often lie the survival wisdom, disaster prevention concepts, and moral constraints of our ancestors, rather than mere superstition.

With the changes of the times and the popularization of scientific education, modern people's perspectives on traditional folk customs have gradually shifted from blind fear to cultural understanding. Government departments proactively speaking out to interpret folk customs at this time not only demonstrates respect for traditional culture, but also fulfills the function of social education, eliminating unnecessary rumors and panic. The core spirit of the seventh lunar month actually lies in extending kindness to others, saving all sentient beings, and caring for life, rather than being hijacked by various cumbersome rituals. When participating in universal salvation ceremonies or observing traditional customs, as long as the public grasps the principles of viewing things rationally and maintaining benevolent intentions, they can balance cultural heritage while enjoying a safe and healthy daily life.