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For whom the bell tolls: ringing in a new year
By Sang Ni |
January 31, 2011, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
IF you happen to pass by a temple on the Lunar New Year's Eve, don't be surprised to hear its bell tolling. Striking the bells in the temple at 12 o'clock of the eve is a Chinese tradition. While striking the bells or listening to them at temples, people make New Year wishes for the peace and prosperity of their nation, and for luck and good health for families and friends.
Usually an honored monk at a temple presides over the New Year tolling ceremony.
In the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), Chinese poet Zhang Ji penned a famous poem during his stop in a place called Fengqiao:
"At moonset, crows cry and frosts grow;
Fishing glows invoke my sleepless woe.
From the Hanshan Temple outside Suzhou moat,
The midnight tolls swell to my mooring boat."
Since then, the toll of the Hanshan Temple bell has been cited by countless travelers over the centuries as an unforgettable memory of a trip there.
The Bell Tower in the Hanshan Temple in Suzhou now houses a giant bell made during the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The 2-ton black bell was inscribed with the characters gu han shan si, which mean "ancient Hanshan Temple." The bell sounds resonant tolls with lingering echoes. Every Lunar New Year's Eve, monks in the temple would strike the bell 108 times, symbolizing the washing away of troubles and the advent of better times.
Closer to home, the Yunxiang Temple at 263 Jiefang Street in Nanxiang Town, also plays host to annual New Year tolling ceremonies. Crowds of people gather at the temple or listen for the sound of the bells from their homes.
When the tolls begin, so do the wishes expressed for good luck to befall loved ones.
The Yunxiang Temple was built in AD 505 during the Southern and Northern Dynasties (AD 420-589) and was originally named Baihe Nanxiang Temple, or Temple of the Southbound White Cranes.
The heyday of the temple occurred around AD 618, when its area was increased to 5.4 hectares. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Emperor Zhaoyun bestowed a board inscribed with the characters nan xiang si, or Nanxiang Temple. So the temple was renamed as Nanxiang Temple.
In 1700, Emperor Kangxi gave the temple another board inscribed with the characters yun xiang si, or Yunxiang Temple, and so the site was again renamed.
This ancient temple attracts many visitors. Why not be among those who visit the site on the Lunar New Year's Eve to enjoy the blessings and the distinctive festive atmosphere?
Usually an honored monk at a temple presides over the New Year tolling ceremony.
In the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), Chinese poet Zhang Ji penned a famous poem during his stop in a place called Fengqiao:
"At moonset, crows cry and frosts grow;
Fishing glows invoke my sleepless woe.
From the Hanshan Temple outside Suzhou moat,
The midnight tolls swell to my mooring boat."
Since then, the toll of the Hanshan Temple bell has been cited by countless travelers over the centuries as an unforgettable memory of a trip there.
The Bell Tower in the Hanshan Temple in Suzhou now houses a giant bell made during the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The 2-ton black bell was inscribed with the characters gu han shan si, which mean "ancient Hanshan Temple." The bell sounds resonant tolls with lingering echoes. Every Lunar New Year's Eve, monks in the temple would strike the bell 108 times, symbolizing the washing away of troubles and the advent of better times.
Closer to home, the Yunxiang Temple at 263 Jiefang Street in Nanxiang Town, also plays host to annual New Year tolling ceremonies. Crowds of people gather at the temple or listen for the sound of the bells from their homes.
When the tolls begin, so do the wishes expressed for good luck to befall loved ones.
The Yunxiang Temple was built in AD 505 during the Southern and Northern Dynasties (AD 420-589) and was originally named Baihe Nanxiang Temple, or Temple of the Southbound White Cranes.
The heyday of the temple occurred around AD 618, when its area was increased to 5.4 hectares. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Emperor Zhaoyun bestowed a board inscribed with the characters nan xiang si, or Nanxiang Temple. So the temple was renamed as Nanxiang Temple.
In 1700, Emperor Kangxi gave the temple another board inscribed with the characters yun xiang si, or Yunxiang Temple, and so the site was again renamed.
This ancient temple attracts many visitors. Why not be among those who visit the site on the Lunar New Year's Eve to enjoy the blessings and the distinctive festive atmosphere?
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