At noon on February 24 (the 15th day of the first lunar month), many people in Ho Chi Minh City flocked to Phuoc Hai Pagoda (also known as Ngoc Hoang Pagoda) to pray for good luck on the occasion of the New Year.
For a long time, the full moon of January has been considered the most important full moon day of the year. Vietnamese people believe that if they go to the temple and prepare a sumptuous offering tray on this occasion, they will be lucky and blessed all year round.
Many people sincerely worship and burn incense outside the temple yard, because inside they only use candles to pray.
After worshiping, visitors to the temple offer gifts to the Jade Emperor and perform the oil pouring ritual. Everyone buys a bottle of oil and then pours it into the oil lamp in front of the shrine, along with prayers for health, smooth work, and prosperity.
The entrance to the temple was crowded with people on Saturday morning.
Inside the main hall, there are many people performing the ceremony. Ngoc Hoang Pagoda has 3 halls, including: Front Hall, Middle Hall and Main Hall. Entering the Main Hall are statues of the Jade Emperor, Huyen Thien Bac Den and the heavenly soldiers and generals. Many people come to the pagoda to pray for wealth, children, love, health, peace, etc.
Mr. Khoa (District 1) had to carry the offering up high and close his eyes to pray sincerely at the Kim Hoa Thanh Mau temple with 12 midwives who take care of childbirth and 13 teachers to pray for children.
After the ceremony, many people touch the horse statue and ring the bell for good luck in the new year.
Ms. Ngoc Trinh (Go Vap district) wrote a prayer for the whole family. "Every year I go to the pagoda on the 15th day of the first lunar month, hoping that everything will go smoothly in the new year, and that my family will have health and wealth," she said.
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Outside the yard, many people worshiped, touched the Buddha statue, and took pictures with the temple's "blessings" for good luck.
The closer to noon, the hotter the temperature, many people still braved the sun to visit Ngoc Hoang Pagoda.
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