Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

Taipei City Government held the Ghost Festival Pudu Ceremony at the Civic Plaza in front of city hall on September 13. Serving as the head of ceremony, Mayor Hau Lung-bin led the attendees in praying for good luck and prosperity.

This is the first time for Taipei City Government to organize a pudu ritual. Seeking a balance between ancient customs and conservation standards, the organizers consulted many experts in the field. At the suggestions of these experts, traditional sacrifices and offerings at the ceremony were replaced by paper craft, flour sculptures, and floral arrangement.

According to the mayor, there have been a number of pudu ceremonies in Taipei every year. At the request of Taipei City Council, the city is organizing a major ceremony that displays the tradition and customs related to the main event of the month-long Ghost Festival.

For the ritual, the city government has invited the city gods (Cheng Huang) from four major temples in Taipei to preside over the event at Civic Plaza, including Taiwan Provincial City God Temple, Taipei Fu City God Temple, Hsiahai City God Temple, and Songshan Hsiahai City God Temple.

Earlier in the day, the mayor also visited the Taipei Fishery Wholesale Market in Wanhua to attend the pudu ceremony organized by the market vendors. Saying hello to the vendors at the fish market, Hau stopped by the shrine inside the market to offer his prayers to Guan Gong.