TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A Buddhist temple in central Taiwan Thursday (Sept. 4) launched a three-day Ghost Festival ceremony featuring an unusual offering: 2,800 pieces of Costco's roast chicken meat intended to appease infant spirits. Changhua County's Lukang Decang Temple (彰化縣鹿港地藏王廟) began the Dharma service celebrating the Ghost Festival, a traditional observance during the seventh month of the lunar calendar. The massive pile of Costco signature products drew significant attention as part of the temple's efforts to comfort deceased infant souls.
Temple General Secretary Lin Hui-chuan (林慧娟) explained that purchasing roast chickens from Costco proved more convenient for both worship ceremonies and distribution to participants. More than 14,000 people registered for this year's ceremony, with most seeking to appease infant spirits through the traditional ritual offerings. The temple enhanced the experience by setting up a play area and providing milk powder and snacks for the spiritual observance.
Temple employees said the temple's Bodhisattva, a Buddhist deity, had instructed them to purchase chicken drumsticks specifically to appease infant spirits, resulting in an annual procurement of 350 bags totaling 2,800 pieces. Lin mentioned that despite indoor storage, the roast drumsticks and chickens cannot be kept long in the hot weather conditions. The temple will distribute the offerings after noon to ensure freshness for both spiritual purposes and community consumption.
The temple prepared 300 bags of roast chicken meat and 350 bags of roast chicken legs for this year's ceremony, demonstrating the scale of the spiritual offering. Local village representatives will distribute the treats to community members in need during the afternoon distribution period. Temple officials reported that the total expenses for the chicken offerings exceed NT$100,000 (around US$3,260), reflecting the significant investment in this traditional Buddhist practice. ◼