Questionable practices? Incense burning ritual on NYD a mix-up

World
Europe

CFP Photo

Millions around China mark the first day of the Lunar New Year by flocking to temples to burn incense and pray for good fortune.

Being the first one to light incense sticks inside a temple on the Lunar New Year’s Day is mistakenly believed to be auspicious and a sign that luck is looming in the horizon. Still, the misunderstanding does not stop the competition from being so heated that many queue up outside worship spaces overnight to claim the title.

Wang Fan, from China’s central Hubei Province, has been the first one to show up at Yonghegong Lama Temple, one of the oldest temples in Beijing, for the past three consecutive years.

CFP Photo

However, on Saturday morning, he failed to hog the first spot even though he had arrived 26 hours before the doors opened on the morning of day one of the Year of the Rooster.

Coming up with a strategy is key to succeeding in being the first one who pay their respect by lighting the fragrant sticks.

Details are crucial as every second counts.

In 2015, Wang was not in the lead of the race, but his windproof lighter helped him make up the lost time, and the stick he was holding glowed almost effortlessly.

What made Wang Fan stand out on Saturday morning was not his enthusiasm – but his outfit.

He had put on the Monkey King costume – a legendary character from the Chinese classical novel “Journey to the West” who possesses super powers to beat monsters and protect a monk during the Tang Dynasty while en route to India for Buddhism books.

CFP Photo

But Wang is not after luck every time he dresses up and dashes inside the temple.

“I made the front pages on the first day of Lunar New Year for many years. Last year, I was dressed as the Monkey King, and people came to me for photos. And when I said, ‘may you be prosperous, give me red envelopes', everybody happily did so,” Wang admitted.

He collected around 10,000 yuan (about 1,450 US dollars) in five days.

CFP Photo

This year, the Yonghegong Lama Temple banned visitors from turning up in costumes, but Wang thought he could still make some money by wearing the outfit outside the temple after burning incense.

However, Hu Xuefeng, abbot of the temple, said that a widespread mix-up exists among the public.

He noted that when it comes to the “first incense burning” practice, running is unnecessary, because “first” does not refer to racing in the hope of being the first to light incense but rather the first time one burns incense – regardless of when that happens.‍