American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Sandra Oudkirk yesterday took part in a traditional Taiwanese ritual to commemorate the annual Ghost Month.
Oudkirk, the de facto American ambassador to Taiwan, and AIT Deputy Director Jeremy Cornforth took part in a Zhongyuan Pudu ritual on the AIT’s Taipei premises, making offerings of food and burning incense to honor those who have passed on, a post on the AIT’s Facebook page said.
The AIT table offerings included fruits, various dishes, soft drinks, beer and flowers, the Facebook page showed.
Photo courtesy of the AIT’s Facebook page
Oudkirk and Cornforth, who both began their posts last month, also offered the spirits joss paper representing New Taiwan and US dollars. This was their first time observing a traditional Ghost Month ritual in Taiwan.
Other employees at AIT also took part in the ceremony to pay homage to spirits in the area.
In Taiwanese culture, Ghost Month is the seventh month on the lunar calendar and is marked this year from Aug. 8 to Sept. 6, with the Ghost Festival observed yesterday.
According to local folklore, the gates of the underworld open during Ghost Month, and spirits are released to visit their families and loved ones, or just roam around.
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