Devotees get ready to greet Year of the Tiger virtually
This Chinese New Year, devotees can avoid being exposed to the highly transmissible Omicron variant by registering for their “merit to be delivered” virtually from temples in Hong Kong via the Bok Boon Delivery Line account @bokboon or Facebook page www.facebook.com/bokboondelivery.
To mark the Lunar New Year, Thais usually flock to temples in Hong Kong to pray for prosperity, love, health and wealth. Here are the five most popular sacred sites in Hong Kong:
• Che Kung Temple: This temple features a golden statue of Che Kung, a military general of the Southern Song dynasty in ancient China, and a golden pinwheel. It is believed that spinning the pinwheel three times clockwise will draw good things and get rid of bad luck.
• Wong Tai Sin Temple: This Taoist deity is believed to have the power of healing, so thousands flock to this temple to pray for good health. Devotees can also pray to Cai Shen for good luck and Yue Lao for being lucky in love.
• Tin Hau Temple at Repulse Bay: One of the oldest in Hong Kong, this temple was built to protect fishermen and features a tall Guan Yin statue that is believed to grant wishes. Other Chinese deities are also present in the temple.
• Kwan Tai Temple in Sham Shui Po: Police officers and business people usually flock to this temple to pray to Guan Yu, the god of honesty and loyalty. Guan Yu featured greatly in the Chinese historical epic, “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”.
• Tian Tan Buddha at Polin Monastery: Located on Polin mountain on Lantau island, devotees believe that praying to the Tian Tan Buddha will give them a happy life and success in every aspect.
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