Visiting Buddhist pagodas on the first day of the Lunar New Year

Many people write out their wishes of good luck and hang them on a tree in front of Tu Hieu pagoda on the first day of the Lunar New Year

From early in the morning, crowded lines of vehicles from many directions poured to the routes of Tam Thai, and Thien Thai, where the main cemetery of Hue city is located. They brought incense, flowers, and sincere hearts to their deceased grandparents, ancestors, and relatives.

"Every year, whatever we do, we have to offer incense to deceased grandparents, and relatives resting here; then we go to the Buddhist pagodas and start visiting our relatives and neighbors," Ms. Nguyen Thu Ha, who lives in Hue City shared.

In addition to the cemeteries, the next destination that the people of Hue must go to is the Buddhist pagodas. Thua Thien Hue Online recorded that many Buddhist pagodas including Tu Hieu, Ba Don, Thien Ton, and Tu Dam, etc., were crowded with people going for the ceremonies, offering incense, and praying for a new year of peace, health, and good luck, etc. Some Buddhist pagodas also let people pick good fortune, resort to sortilege to find their “destiny” of the New Year. Some Buddhist pagodas arranged spaces for visitors to write out what they wish and hang them on.

Ms. Hoai Thu (from Phu Vang) said that she felt peaceful, and hoped for a whole year like that when she went to the pagoda on the first day of the Lunar New Year. "I only know to pray for health for my whole family; having health, we will get the rest,” Ms. Thu said.

Photos of people visiting graves and going to Buddhist pagodas on the first day of the Lunar New Year, recorded by Thua Thien Hue Online:

For many Hue families, offering incense for deceased grandparents and ancestors on the first day of the Lunar New Year has become a habit

After that, they go to the Buddhist pagodas to pray for good luck and peace

A great number of people crowded under the Maitreya Buddha statue at Thien Ton pagoda

The rite of picking good fortune on the first day of the Lunar New Year is aimed to pray for peaceful and good things

The young children wearing colorful dresses are taken to the Buddhist pagodas on the first day of the Lunar New Year

A family poses for a photo on the first day of the Lunar New Year

Many people pray to the Buddha at Thien Ton pagoda

Meanwhile, other children at Tu Hieu pagoda are busy writing out their wishes on papers to hang them on the tree in front of the main hall

The words of the prayers are written on red papers, which symbolize good luck

The lucky tree is full of many people’s papers, with their wishes left in the pagoda

Video of people together writing out the lucky things and hanging them on the tree in front of the main hall of Tu Hieu pagoda in the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year

By Phan Thanh