France’s deputy representative to Taiwan took part in a traditional ritual in Keelung on Sunday to commemorate the spirits of hundreds of deceased French nationals in Taiwan as part of annual Ghost Month activities.
French Office in Taipei Deputy Director Clea Le Cardeur took part in a Zhongyuan Pudu ritual at the French cemetery in Keelung, during which participants made food offerings and burned incense to honor those who have passed.
About 700 French soldiers who fought and died during the Sino-French War were buried in the cemetery in Keelung, Le Cardeur said during her address at the ceremony.
Photo: Yu Chao-fu, Taipei Times
At that time, Taiwan was part of China’s Qing Dynasty.
Even though then-Keelung residents were also victims of the Sino-French War, they were kind enough to bury these French nationals and offered them a final resting place based on humanity and compassion, Le Cardeur said.
One hundred and forty years later, she and others in Keelung were gathered at the cemetery to honor Taiwanese and French traditions.
On behalf of the French Office in Taipei, the de facto French embassy in Taiwan, the diplomat expressed her gratitude to the Keelung City Government for designating the cemetery as a historical monument.
In Taiwanese culture, Ghost Month takes place on the seventh month of the lunar calendar. This year, it began on Aug. 4 and is to end on Sept. 2, with the Ghost Festival to be observed on Sunday next week.
According to local folklore, the gates of the underworld usually open during Ghost Month, and the spirits are released to visit their families and loved ones or just roam around.
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