Chinese New Year is just around the corner. It’s a time to clean the house and generally get ready for the new year. Didn’t we just do that?Come on people, this is the real one; January 1st is only a practice so we get it right for real. We all know how big a deal the 26th, 27th, 28th… is.
So last weekend we took a trip to the temple, and the 50+ Buddhas, to offer our gifts for help in the coming year. Last week was the best time for us to go (between 2-4pm). I’ve never done that before. We bought a pile of coloured paper that we had to arrange in the form of a flower, then we burnt it.
Every time I went with my foreign friends to a temple, I could see how
fascinating they feel. They, with their mouth and eyes opened wide, jumping inbetween different colourful status different Buddhas, they never understand why
so many people, all left piles of food and
fruits on the table infront of the Buddha, then to bow, to pray and to burn things, then up with a smiley relieve
face…
It’s not easy to explain this kind of ceremony to them. Chinese go to
the temple on the different season, different month, different days for
different reason. Foreign do see this is what Buddhism all about. But
no, this is just our tradition.
I only want to correct you one thing here, you said you went to the temple
last weekend, to offer gifts for help in the coming year. Well,
normally, Chinese would go to the temple on the beginning of the year
to offer gifts and ask for help and protection for the coming year, but
will do the same progress when it’s close to the end of the year for
thank you. So, you went there close to the end of the year, you were
involving a thanks ceremony. You were actually “Wan Tai Sui”, thank you for a Buddha who helps to keep gossip and baddies off your back for the almost over year.