Toucheng Ghost Grappling Festival

The Toucheng Ghost Grappling Festival (Chinese: 頭城搶孤; pinyin: Tóuchéng Qiǎnggū; Tâi-lô: Thâu-siânn tshiúnn-koo), also known as Qianggu Festival, is a traditional festival and competitive ritual held in Toucheng, Yilan County, Taiwan. The event takes place near the end of the Ghost Festival during the seventh lunar month, a period in Taiwanese folk religion associated with wandering spirits.

Originating in the early 19th century, the festival combines religious ritual with a competitive climbing event in which teams attempt to scale tall, greased poles and bamboo towers to obtain offerings and a flag at the top. The Toucheng event is widely regarded as the largest ghost grappling competition in Taiwan and is associated with the historical migration and settlement of Han Taiwanese in the Yilan Plain. The festival commemorates migrants who died during the colonization of the Yilan Plain and expresses the community's respect for wandering spirits and ancestors.

At the same time, the competitive element emphasizes cooperation, endurance, and physical skill among participants. The event attracts large crowds each year and has become one of the most prominent Ghost Festival traditions in Taiwan.