Rising costs have forced organizers of Ghost Festival banquets to cut back on spending.
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00:00Tables and tables of lavish offerings, a feast for spirits from the underworld.
00:05Tradition holds that the spirits come back late each summer.
00:08To keep on their good side, people put on ceremonial banquets for them.
00:13But this year, the rising cost of living means some are having to cut corners.
00:18The rural central Taiwan town of Huwei was once known for its so-called Mountain of Meat,
00:23but this time around, the pigs are rentals.
00:26This vendor, who didn't want to be filmed, says a whole pig now goes for over US$370,
00:31but he says he's lent them for the ceremony for just US$130 apiece.
00:36The organizing committee says it's just not economical to provide such rich fare as in past years.
00:42They've even turned to other meats to keep under budget.
00:56Agriculture officials say pork is a more time- and resource-intensive meat,
01:00and that strong seasonal demand is also affecting supply.
01:04Pork needs to be kept for half a year,
01:07and chicken needs to be kept for a month or two.
01:11Recently, there's been less pig meat because pig farms are under construction.
01:15Now is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and it's a year-on-year holiday.
01:20The biggest demand is on holidays.
01:22But it isn't just pork.
01:24Forecasters at think tank CIER expect the consumer price index to rise 2.16% this year,
01:31slightly lower than last year, but high enough to see people thinking about cutting costs however they can.
01:37Even the afterlife may not be able to escape the pinch.
01:41Leon Lien and John Van Triest for Taiwan Plus.