Lantern Festival

As part of the Lantern Festival/Naming Ceremony, a number of shrines or alters are worshipped at. For my family, there are five shrines located in and around the walled village. The first one is located at the back of the village, the second is by the entrance, the third is across the road, the fourth is outside the village entrance and the fifth is a little further down outside the perimeter wall.

Prior to the ceremony starting today, each shrine was cleared, cleaned, decorated and had a lantern located either above or next to the shrine.

The first blessing required all the families to go together during an auspicious time, where fortunately it was 9am this year (where as for my eldest son is was 4am!)

There are five families with newborn sons in the previous lunar year, which makes it busy, but there is loads of help, support and co-operation. We have to top up an oil lamp (as seen in this Blip), light incense and candles, then pour tea, before burning offerings, (and if it were legal) burn firecrackers, before announcing to the world about the newborn baby boys by means of gong banging in a 2-2-5 rhythm three times. This is done at every shrine and the ones within your home.

This is done again in the afternoon around 4pm, before repeating the oil lowing days, until completion on Monday morning, where the lanterns themselves will be burnt as part of the offering.

I might get some shopping and sightseeing done in the next couple of days, before Sunday when the whole village will get together to eat, which is an amazing sight.