Culture Insider: China's Ghost Festival

Sending goat

A popular folk custom during the festival requires that a grandfather or uncle on the mother's side send a live goat to his grandson or nephew. Legend has it that the custom has something to do with the myth of Chenxiang Saving His Mother from the Mountain. The custom has gradually evolved into sending a pair of flour goats.

The festival is quite popular among Chinese and is celebrated not only on the Chinese mainland, but also in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Besides, it has spread to and is celebrated in Thailand, Japan, North Korea, Singapore and Malaysia.

Participants carry paper houses prior to their release into the sea to celebrate the Ghost Festival on August 20, 2013 in Keelung, Taiwan. Paper houses are burnt at sea as part of a salvation ritual to lead ghosts and lonely spirits in the underworld through the waterways leading back to land. [Photo/CFP]

For more culture insiders, click here

Qixi - the Chinese Valentine's Day	Cool and beautiful tips from ancient China	10 types of residential houses across China