On 11th February, Fo Guang Shan (FGS) South Island New Zealand held a Chinese New Year Eve Dharma function, attended by about 400 people from Christchurch including Chinese, kiwis and other ethnics. The evening was filled with exciting activities like the lighting of New Year’s first incense, candle and flower offerings, drawing scrolls containing Dharma words of wisdom, ringing the bell, sutra transcriptions, wishes in prayer, receiving red auspicious packets and buns, lion dances, traditional folk dances, eating servings of auspicious congee, and so on.
Temple Minister in Charge Venerable Jue Xi led devotees to recite the The 88 Buddhas’ Great Repentance Verses and Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s Prayer for Chinese New Year. The audience watching the video of Chinese New Year greetings by Venerable Master Hsing Yun and Most Venerable Xin Bau. They wished the Buddha, Master Hsing Yun, FGS Venerable Abbot Xin Bau and FGS NZ Venerable Abbess Manshin well for the New Year. On behalf of the temple, Venerable Jue Xi presented red auspicious packets and buns to the devotees, as well as Master Hsing Yun’s One Stroke Calligraphy couplet with the phrase – Cultivate a Heart that Blooms in All Seasons.
Afterwards, the BLIA YAD dressed in Qing dynasty costumes performed a Qing Dynasty Princess Dance, exuding a strong traditional Chinese festive spirit. This was followed by a lion dance that attracted the crowds’ attention and brought the festive atmosphere to its peak. The wonderful performances were a big delight to everyone inside the main shrine and around the temple.
The ongoing 2021 Light & Art Show held at FGS South Island NZ adds a lot of colour to the New Year celebrations. The courtyard was where people gave incense offerings and rang bells while being surrounding by a fantastic display of lights. Over at the art gallery, people took the time to transcribe sutras and also to admire the After a Thousand Miles World Tour exhibition. The Tea House was also very popular, with yummy vegetarian Chinese New Year dishes attracting both Chinese and local kiwi, and the sweet longan lucky congee dish was especially well received. The crowds to the main shrine appeared endless, with devotees offering their prayers, flowers and candles, while receiving Master Hsing Yun’s words of Dharma wisdom in return.
The devotees thanked the temple for arranging the events with such attention to detail, making it a very memorable day for everyone. To the Chinese community living here, overseas from their family, it was a very touching experience to be in the company of family and friends at the temple on Chinese New Year’s Eve. To other foreign expats, having the opportunity to be part of such a culturally significant day was something to be happy for. To the Westerners in New Zealand, it was a truly amazing experience to be able to experience something a little different from another culture. Mophie Hung from Taiwan attended the day’s event with her Kiwi boyfriend Cameren who came for the first time to a Chinese New Year’s Eve event. He was honoured and very happy to be able to learn about traditional Chinese festivals, and appreciated all the little gifts he received over the course of that evening.
