A local friend of mine invited me and the missus to have dinner with him and his friends at round red tables in his store front the other day, last day of Ghost Month. When I asked him what it was all about, he said PU DU, this was a payback for his ghost friends, and PU DU. What does PU DU mean and what’s its connection to Ghost Month?
BTW, the meal was delish and many courses long, and full of strong drink and I went home staggering at great length with a humongous headache… but it was fun and I’ll do it again if invited, sure. Love Ghost Month here! Wish every month was Ghost Month!
This is what I understand about PU DU besides getting a big delish meal out of it…
The PU DU ceremony is for Taoism and/or Buddhism (sorry, I often times got them confused). At the end of the Ghost month, these religious people perform the PU DU ceremony to get rid of the ghosts for good and pray for good year coming (businesses make it a bigger deal than the peasants). The elaborate meal is prepared for the ghosts, hoping once they are “full” and good, they will go away and not come back (at least not till next Ghost month).
I think the ceremony is also marked the end of the ghost month so that all the weddings, shop openings, etc can take place now.
Don’t say “Love Ghost Month here! Wish every month was Ghost Month!” to your Chinese/Taiwanese friends. Most people dislike the month of Ghost. It’s all superstitious, but they believe it to the heart since you are not supposed to travel overseas, have weddings, etc. during this month.
