Temple Fair (Bai Yun Temple)

February 11, 2008

During Chinese New Year, there is a tradition in China which celebrates by having temple fairs. Celebrated in temples around the city, people gather around to pray for luck, good fortune, health and all possible good tidings that one can ask. One of the temple we visited is Bai Yun which means White Cloud. It’s actually fun to see a lot of people burning incense and praying to Taoist saints. They also have a lot of activities like this one which I tried. You will need to buy gold plated huge coins to aim and throw on the big bell on the middle. It’s said that it will bring luck but I’m more into trying out cultural activities like this. And I hit the target! (not captured in the video though)

Here’s a peak of throwing coin activity…

I feel ecstatic when I see people celebrating their tradition. I actually urged my friends to go there (even if they don’t want to) because I’m such a brat when it comes to exploring. Choosing White Cloud Temple is not a spontaneous decision, I researched temple fairs in Beijing and where is the best. Plus they have this thing visitors do, you have to look for hidden monkeys engraved somewhere within the temple walls and you need to touch it for luck. There’s actually two, it’s easy to find because of the long queue so join the club!

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