Prayers for pandemic's end at packed Che Kung Temple

Bowie Tse

More than 16,000 devotees flocked to Che Kung Temple in Tai Wai on the third day of the Lunar New Year, hoping the deity can help end the pandemic.

The temple saw a total of 16,642 visitors from 8am to 5.30pm yesterday, down 5 percent from last year's 17,473 visitors in the same period, the Chinese Temples Committee said.

More than 25,000 people visited the temple on Wednesday, compared with over 26,000 last year.

The temple was running at almost its full capacity, the committee said, urging worshippers to visit on other days. To enter, devotees needed to use the LeaveHomeSafe app.

According to traditional beliefs, people are prone to quarrel on the third day of the new year so it is considered not a good day to visit relatives or friends. Many opt to visit temples instead.

Large crowds queued up with festive windmills - spinning them would help change one's luck and bring good fortune. Hitting the drums at the entrance is believed to be a way to inform the deity of a visitor's presence and to pay gratitude.

"The pandemic has worsened lately so of course I have to get a windmill to cast Covid away," a devotee said, adding he also wished for borders to the mainland to reopen and that Hongkongers would travel overseas again.

A woman surnamed Hong who visited the temple twice this week wore two masks when offering incense and praying for blessings. She also shortened her stay inside the temple to only 30 minutes.

A worshiper from Thailand surnamed Cheung who has been living in the SAR for the last few years said "Hong Kong is safer than Thailand."

He also wished the pandemic to go away, saying: "Coming to Che Kung Temple is a must since Wong Tai Sin is closed for the first three days of Lunar New Year".

On Wednesday, Heung Yee Kuk chairman Kenneth Lau Ip-keung drew a "neutral" fortune stick for Hong Kong at Che Kung Temple. The stick warned against "playing a hero." The annual ritual was held behind closed doors on Wednesday.

Lau explained that the fortune stick indicated that the city could not rush to put an end to the pandemic and should "take it one step at a time." He added that the government should continue to carry out effective measures while making improvements along the way. Wong Tai Sin Temple, meanwhile, will reopen to the public today after being closed during the three-day Lunar New Year for the first time since 1965. People need to use the LeaveHomeSafe app to enter.

bowie.tse@singtaonewscorp.com