Based on Chinese calender, the first day of this year located on 14th February, it also mean the spring have come. The day before, everyone will back to their own hometown, gathering and eat together. Its a meaningful day for no matter how busy we are or how far we are, we will rush back to union with family members whose we haven't see for a long time. There are 12 zodiacs in Chinese calender, every zodiac take turn and one cycle take 12 years. This year is year of tiger, also is my year, haha...
A lot of thing to do before new year come, we have to choose a day to clean our house. Normally use the bamboo to swept away the spider webs and every corners of our house.
We also prepare a lot of food which bring good meaning to pray at temple with hope that God will bless us in the coming year. If students they hope to get good results, businessman will pray for their business to get better, single people will pray to get a good soul-mate in this year. I pray for... hehe... secret! ^^
The stick we use to pray, do smell good, for me, haha... Now got a lot of flavor such as rose, lily etc. Its kind like the stick people use to do the aroma therapy. I think the story of stick is from India, when Siddhārtha Gautama give lesson to his followers, they use one kind of wood to keep the insects away. Later they turn the wood into stick and use to pray at temple.
Long time ago, during Chinese New Year, everyone will wear red clothes, play firecracker and decorate the house with red color. There is a story about it. Once upon a time, there was an animal name 'nien' which look like lion and will come out eat people during new year. So during new year everyone just stay at home to avoid that animal. One day, villagers found out that it scared with red color and sound of firecracker so since that day, everyone wear red color clothes and decorate house with red color and play firecrackers to chase the animal from their village. And this have become a culture but today people not that mind about the color of shirt but yet people still will wear bright color shirt to hope get a bright start in new year.
This is how a temple look like, not every temple are same, but more or less, got candle, 3 cups of water and sometime flowers offer in front the God, every God guard for different thing. I have to admit, Chinese have a lot of God, every of them are different and have their own story. Most of them are transform from human. I heard those stories from my grandma and also from books. Its fun to get know more about those stories, its something that we need to protect for.
This lion is to believe to guard the door, protect the family from any bad spirit. Pairing, one of it, under it's feet is a ball, another one is little lion under the feet. Some believe if you touch the lion, it will bring luck to you. Well, normally I hug it, more luck, haha...
My brother tried to wake me up in the midnight to be the first person to pray at temple but me told him my legs pain cause I works hard for few days. In the end he, my elder sister and my aunt went to pray at 12am. Me? Snoring at bed, haha...
All the wall pictures were draw by a person who come from China. He was so great that he just paint without looking at any picture. He draw by himself, slowly and steady. That time we like to play at temple and watch him drawing.
This picture belong to my aunt, she bought it. Every picture have their own owner, we can't choose the picture, all upon that guy.
Every picture has their own story, its about God and some mystery/love stories. Love stories always end up with sad ending, haha... cause God are not allowed to fall in love, they have to live like monk, nothing but only helping people.
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