Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

To prepare for the Ghost Festival pudu (‘universal salvation’) ritual, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin and a delegation comprising top city officials arrived at the Taiwan Provincial City God Temple in downtown Taipei to ‘invite’ the City God to preside over the event slated for September 13.

In accordance with tradition, the mayor paid a visit to the city god temple on September 9; Hau respectfully asked the city god (Cheng Huang) to attend the upcoming pudu ritual at city hall and to serve as the ritual’s head deity.

The event at city hall will include a blessing ceremony for the victims of Typhoon Morakot. The mayor beseeched Cheng Huang to extend a helping hand to individuals recovering from the damages caused by Typhoon Morakot and to confer upon the people of Taiwan prosperity and good luck.

The pudu ritual is one of the most important ceremonies of the Ghost Festival (also known as the Ghost Month). During the event, people make offerings to the ghosts and spirits from the underworld during their month-long stay in the realm of the living.

The Ghost Festival pudu takes place on the 15th day of the seventh month on the Lunar calendar.