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Temples play it safe
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Nine Buddhist temples in Hangzhou, including the 1,700-year-old Lingyin Temple near West Lake, will close after dark through the Spring Festival holiday as a precaution to avoid overcrowding and safety hazards.
The Jingci (净慈寺) , Faxi (法喜寺), Fajing (法镜寺), Fajing (法净寺), Lingyin (灵隐寺), Yongfu (永福寺), Taoguang (韬光寺), Xiangji (香积寺) and Wanshou (万寿寺) temples will open to the public from 5am to 6pm. No temple events will be held on Chinese New Year’s Eve, which falls on February 18 this year.
Temples are usually crowded on the eve of lunar New Year as people traditionally go there to pray for good fortune in the year ahead. Lingyin Temple sold 6,000 tickets for 200 yuan (US$33) each last year.
Meanwhile, Lingyin Temple didn’t provide free laba congee to visitors last Tuesday for the Laba Festival, according to the Hangzhou Bureau of Ethnic and Religious Affairs.
Eating laba congee is an ancient tradition that traces its origin to Sakyamuni. To commemorate Buddha’s enlightenment, many temples in China traditionally offer congee made of rice, nuts and other ingredients to visitors on the 8th day of the 12th month on the Chinese lunar calendar.
Although no congee was distributed to visitors last week, the temple sent 300,000 bowls of laba congee to schools, orphanages and nursing homes for seniors in Hangzhou.
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