Temple distributes 10,000 red packets

SIBU: Tua Pek Kong Temple gave out 10,000 ‘ang pow’ on the first day of Chinese New Year on Saturday to share festive joy and goodwill with the community.

Deputy temple chairman Soon Choon Kui who supervised the event said this was part of their cultural celebration which included lion and dragon dances to greet the Year of the Rooster.

He said the crowd had started coming in shortly after daybreak, with young and old participating in this annual event because they knew the red packets were gifts of the temple given out on behalf of the deity as a blessing.

“This festive activity has become a tradition of our temple during the Chinese New Year celebration. The people who receive it will normally not spend the money. They will keep it in the safe or under the pillow, believing this will bring them luck for the rest of the year.”

He said not only devotees were coming for the event but people of various communities had kept returning annually as well.

To add fun to it, he said two men dressed as the God of Fortune gave out the ‘ang pow’ and there was a long queue every year that spilled onto the road.

He said all the red packets were given out before noon.

The temple deputy chairman estimated a total of 15,000 people visited the temple on Chinese New Year eve and on the first day of the new year.

He said their temple was overflowing with cultural colours and sights on these two days such as lion and dragon dances, appearances of men dressed in God of Fortune costumes and devotees burning incenses and paper money.

“Celebration began on the eve when devotees returned to offer thanksgiving while praying for blessings for the new year.”

He said as the clock struck midnight on Friday, the temple’s bell was rung 108 times to usher in the Year of the Rooster.

Soon said the auspicious figure represented luck, adding that as the bell was sounded, devotees turned their faces skyward outside the temple to offer their first burnt incense to the Jade Emperor, the keeper of heaven and earth.

He said after that, devotees proceeded to offer thanksgiving to Tua Pek Kong inside the temple.

Soon noted that the rich colours and culture of the temple — built in the 1850s, making it the oldest in Sibu — had attracted countless visitors.

He said he had met tourists from Taiwan, China, Holland and many other countries, sharing enchanting stories of Sarawak and the temple with them.

“Just a few days ago, I met a woman from England. She told me she was impressed by the 1,800 red lanterns hung up for the Chinese New Year celebration.”

Soon said the English woman was fascinated and told him she had never seen so many Chinese lanterns before.

“The woman said she would bring home this awe-inspiring memory. This was her first time visiting Sibu.”

Soon said Tua Pek Kong temple was a tourism hot spot and with 2017 being Visit Sibu Year, the temple committee would play their role in promoting the town.

He said after putting up the lanterns, they next hoped to adopt and develop the car park garden behind the temple which was managed by Sibu Municipal Council into a mini recreational park fully funded by the temple.

“We have proposed (this) to Sibu Municipal Council chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King. He is happy with the suggestion. The council chairman has requested us to write in with the proposal; we have done so.

“There are not many parking lots there. We might as well make better use of it. If the proposal pulls through, we shall get a designer to put the plan on the drawing board.”

Soon said this proposal had come after they adopted the public toilet belonging to the council in the garden car park.

He said the toilet was built by the council many years ago.

After the temple adopted it, he said they spent RM20,000 on renovations to turn it into a first-class toilet.

He said Tiong had visited the newly renovated toilet and was pleased with it.

“Let us pool our efforts together to build Sibu, our home. Our temple is a part of Sibu.”