2026 Ghost Festival Complete Guide: 10 Taboos! Best Worship Time/Supplementing the Treasury/Industry Offering List/Ghost Gate Dates/FAQ All in One

The Ghost Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, is considered a time when the realms of the living and the dead intersect. The festival is a traditional custom of expressing gratitude to heaven and earth, honoring ancestors, and offering food to good brothers. The 2026 Ghost Festival will be held on August 27, 2026 (Lunar July 15). This article provides a comprehensive guide to the 2026 Ghost Festival, including the best times, locations, offerings, and precautions.

The following is a summary of the 2026 Ghost Festival times, worship objects, offerings, and precautions:

・Deities (Dizang Dadi): Lunar 7/15, 7:00-11:00 AM, main hall or open space, three sacrifices, seasonal fruits (odd numbers), tea, wine, longevity gold, and shearing gold ・Ancestors: Lunar 7/15, before 11:00 AM, in front of the ancestral tablet, home-cooked meals, three sacrifices, four fruits, tea, wine, shearing gold, and big silver ・Earth Deities: Lunar 7/15, before 3:00 PM, kitchen or back door, home-cooked meals (chicken legs recommended), tea, wine, shearing gold, and small silver ・Good Brothers: Lunar 7/1-7/29, 1:00-5:00 PM, front door or outdoor space, dry food, canned food, complete three sacrifices, four fruits, new basin and towel, incense for each offering, and no names reported ・Supplementing the Treasury: Lunar 7/14, 11:00 PM-1:00 AM or Lunar 7/15, 9:00-11:00 AM, main worship of San Guan Dadi/Tian Gong Temple, 5 kinds of fruits, gold ingots (at least 10), memorial scroll, heavenly gold, longevity gold, shearing gold, and fortune gold

When selecting offerings for the Ghost Festival, sincerity is the most important. The three sacrifices should be kept whole, and the four fruits should be an odd number. The following are examples of offerings for different industries:

・Technology Industry: Green Bu Bu, sparkling water (for smooth operation of equipment) ・Financial Industry: Cooking oil, wealth water (for abundant funds) ・Service Industry: Lai Yi Ke instant noodles (for more customers) ・Commercial Sector: Red-packaged snacks and drinks (for business success) ・Police: Peanut butter (for fewer cases), broken cloth (for case resolution), and fried sauce noodles (for fraud prevention)

The following are the 10 major taboos of the Ghost Festival: 1. Time and Place: Perform the ritual between 1:00-5:00 PM outdoors before sunset 2. Do not cut the three sacrifices: Keep them whole 3. Fruit Selection: Choose whole, round fruits in odd numbers 4. Incense for Offerings: Place incense in each offering and avoid using used incense burners 5. Do not disclose personal information: Do not report names or addresses 6. Do not make wishes: Do not make wishes to good brothers 7. Do not make noise during the ritual: Avoid whistling, laughing, taking photos, or eating offerings 8. Clothing Taboos: Avoid all-black or revealing clothing 9. Do not remove offerings: Wait until the incense and gold paper rituals are completed 10. Follow the ritual order: Deities → Ancestors → Earth Deities → Good Brothers

The following are examples of safety prayers for worshiping good brothers:

・General Households/Individuals: "Good Brothers, today is the Ghost Festival. We have prepared sacrifices, fruits, and cookies. We sincerely invite you to enjoy them. May you be safe and happy."

・Companies/Community Gatherings: "Today is the Ghost Festival. We have prepared three sacrifices, vegetarian fruits, tea, wine, and gold paper. We sincerely invite the good brothers to preside over the ritual. May there be peace and prosperity in all directions."

The Ghost Festival is also the birthday of Dizang Dadi, who is believed to have the power to forgive sins and bring wealth. The best time for this ritual is between 11:00 PM-1:00 AM on Lunar July 14 or 9:00-11:00 AM on Lunar July 15. At the main worship of San Guan Dadi or Yu Huang Dadi, prepare incense, fresh flowers, candles, tea, wine, 5 kinds of fruits, at least 10 gold ingots, memorial scrolls, longevity gold, shearing gold, fortune gold, and heavenly gold. Sincerely repent and ask for forgiveness, then pray for wealth and good fortune for the rest of the year.