Vietexplorer2024

Similar to their fellow Hong Kong residents, Vietnamese individuals in this Special Administrative Region often visit pagodas during traditional festivals to worship Buddha. The Vu Lan Festival, which occurs on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month (August 18 this year), is a significant event for the Vietnamese community. Many have attended a pagoda named “Phap Xuat Duy Giac,” a Sino-Vietnamese term. According to Tran Thi Phuong, the pagoda’s manager, it was founded over 60 years ago by a Vietnamese nun. In the past, it was a bustling place of worship with many followers and visitors. However, after the nun’s passing in 1999, the number of visitors declined due to a lack of keepers. Tran Thi Phuong, who now cares for the pagoda, chants prayers daily, wishing for good health for her family and peace worldwide. Hoang My An, a Vietnamese expatriate in Hong Kong, shared that during the Vu Lan Festival, the community comes together to visit Buddhist pagodas. They pray for the well-being ...

The pagoda is filled with Buddhist devotees who come to express their gratitude and offer prayers to their ancestors and beloved departed. This annual ritual, usually held on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, brings people together to honor their ancestors and seek peace. Festival participants light lotus lanterns, a symbolic act of praying for peace and enlightenment. The ceremony features approximately 2,000 lotus lanterns, each carrying the hopes and wishes of the devotees. Candles are lit as a symbol of gratitude and respect for parents and ancestors. The ceremony attracts thousands of Buddhist followers who come to the pagoda to participate in this meaningful event. During the seventh lunar month, devotees visit pagodas and temples to worship ancestors and make offerings. They offer food, clothes, and release birds and fish, along with floating lotus lanterns, as a way to honor their parents and seek blessings. ...