The Chua Thien Hau Temple Celebrates Chinese New Year


February 6 (10:30 p.m. to midnight)

On the eve of Chinese New Year (February 6), the Chinatown community will gather to welcome good health, prosperity, and harmony for the "Year of the Rat." Thousands will gather at Chinatown’s largest and most spectacular temple. First, lion dancers perform and 250,000 firecrackers are set off to awaken the deities. Next, incense is burned at five altars to pay respects, offer blessings, and to usher in good fortune for the New Year. The 2008 Miss Chinatown Queen and Court, Taoist monks, the heads of Chinatown’s 25 family associations, and many others from the Chinese community will be present. With the smoke and noise, it is a dramatic, ear-splitting, and eye-tearing site to witness, and one memorable enough to look forward to again next year!

This 6,000 square-foot, $2-million temple opened in September of 2005. Most of the masonry, ceiling tiles, and decorative art was crafted in China and assembled on site. The temple is one of 1,000 such Taoist temples worldwide dedicated to the goddess Lin Meng (also known as Ah-po or Ma-zho). While the “mother” temple is in Fukian province of China, smaller temples can be found in many areas in the south of Vietnam, southern China, and wherever peoples from these regions have settled, including Los Angeles.

posted on 2008-02-04 - Special Events


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