【Lantern Festival: pray for blessings and celebrate reunion, Wong Tai Sin Temple lights up】

#HongKongTraditionalFestivals On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the popular Wong Tai Sin Temple will host its annual grand event, the "Jiachen Year Lantern Festival". In front of the majestic Sik Sik Yuen Palace, hundreds of traditional palace lanterns are hung along the steps, with golden and red tassels swaying in the wind, contrasting beautifully with the lotus lanterns held by the people who are praying for blessings. This year's special theme is "Dragons Soaring Across the Seas". The nine-meter-high auspicious dragon main lantern is perched on the Prayer Square. The dragon's body is inlaid with thousands of glazed scales. When night falls, it emits an amber halo, just like a mythical beast descending to the world. During the Lantern Festival, believers can participate in the custom of "Yue Lao Ties the Red Thread" and tie a peach wood marriage plaque under the marriage tree; children can run among the twelve zodiac lanterns, chasing and playing with hand-painted fish lanterns. There is also an intangible cultural heritage exhibition area in the temple, which displays revolving lanterns and silk and satin lanterns made by masters from Guangdong and Hong Kong, recreating the essence of lantern art from the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. From the 14th to the 16th day of the first lunar month, the temple will extend its opening hours until 11 p.m., and the public can participate in the "Ten Thousand Lanterns Shining for Blessings" ceremony at 7 p.m. After worshipping, don’t forget to draw a “Lantern Festival fortune stick”. It is said that the best fortune sticks drawn on this night are particularly effective. Take the MTR to Wong Tai Sin Station Exit B3, follow the brightly lit area, and you will step into this secret realm of light and shadow that carries a thousand-year-old tradition.