City God Temple Holds Ghost Festival Pudu, Replaces Joss Paper with Rice OfferingPost date：2021-09-02
Updates：2021-09-15
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Taipei City Government joined hands with the Taiwan Provincial City God Temple to organize the 2021 Taipei City Ghost Festival Ceremony on September 1. Deputy Mayor Huang Shan-shan served as the presiding official and led the audience in observing the traditional ceremony.
Due to the impact of COVID-19, the City God Temple seeks to assuage the pain and suffering of the people through traditional ritual while maintaining pandemic prevention measures. On the day of the ceremony, the temple did not set up offerings table, refused offerings from individuals, and remained closed to members of the public. All offerings used for the ceremony are donated to charity organizations after the event.
The Department of Civil Affairs (DCA) has established an online website ([Link]) for those who wish to participate in the Ghost Festival Pudu ceremony. With roughly 2 weeks left for Ghost Month, the website has already attracted over 25,000 visitors who choose to observe the event online. Participants will only have to provide their basic data and the DCA will provide the list of participants to the City God Temple. Their names will be mentioned on the day of the Pudu ceremony and included in the blessings.
To support the overall pandemic prevention effort, Taiwan Provincial City God Temple donated over 9,000 face masks, 4,500 digital infrared thermometers, 5,500 quarantine support packs, and more in the past 2 years. Deputy Mayor Huang presented a certificate of gratitude to the temple authority on the day of the ritual, thanking the temple for its contributions.
DCA commissioner Lan Shih-tsung pointed out that while pudu is an important Taiwanese tradition, this year’s event at the City God Temple is not open to the public due to pandemic prevention concerns. However, he is confident that people’s faith remains unchanged and the ceremony can help bring peace to the minds of residents and help Taiwan endure the test of COVID-19.
Due to the impact of COVID-19, the City God Temple seeks to assuage the pain and suffering of the people through traditional ritual while maintaining pandemic prevention measures. On the day of the ceremony, the temple did not set up offerings table, refused offerings from individuals, and remained closed to members of the public. All offerings used for the ceremony are donated to charity organizations after the event.The Department of Civil Affairs (DCA) has established an online website ([Link]) for those who wish to participate in the Ghost Festival Pudu ceremony. With roughly 2 weeks left for Ghost Month, the website has already attracted over 25,000 visitors who choose to observe the event online. Participants will only have to provide their basic data and the DCA will provide the list of participants to the City God Temple. Their names will be mentioned on the day of the Pudu ceremony and included in the blessings.
To support the overall pandemic prevention effort, Taiwan Provincial City God Temple donated over 9,000 face masks, 4,500 digital infrared thermometers, 5,500 quarantine support packs, and more in the past 2 years. Deputy Mayor Huang presented a certificate of gratitude to the temple authority on the day of the ritual, thanking the temple for its contributions.
DCA commissioner Lan Shih-tsung pointed out that while pudu is an important Taiwanese tradition, this year’s event at the City God Temple is not open to the public due to pandemic prevention concerns. However, he is confident that people’s faith remains unchanged and the ceremony can help bring peace to the minds of residents and help Taiwan endure the test of COVID-19.
