Temple rush set as tradition returns

Eunice Lam

Wong Tai Sin Temple welcomes worshippers to join the first incense offering marking the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit, after the tradition was suspended for two years amid the Covid pandemic.

The temple will be open overnight from 9pm Lunar New Year's Eve on January 21 until 9pm the next day.

A "tidal flow" single-way crowd control will be in place. Those unable to visit the temple in person can watch live via Sik Sik Yuen's "TAO-NET" website, and on the temple's social media pages.

Temple-goers can only bring at most nine incense sticks to the temple, while other offerings - including joss paper - are not allowed.

Doris Sin Pik-shan , chief executive officer of the temple's operator Sik Sik Yuen, expects 40,000 to 60,000 worshippers.

The traditional activity sees worshippers rushing to place incense in front of Wong Tai Sin, in hopes of finding luck for the year ahead. People usually stand shoulder to shoulder as they race to the front of the main altar to offer their first incense sticks.

The temple will extend its opening hours during the first 15 days of the Lunar New Year, well into February.

Meanwhile, businesses have mixed feelings ahead of the four-day holiday.

Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades president Simon Wong Ka-wo expects at least HK$10 billion in business this month and in February, as large-scale dinner gatherings are anticipated amid the relaxed social distance curbs, including the diner cap. "Bookings this year are better than previous years," he said. "Some 60 percent of tables on the Lunar New Year's Eve are booked."

Wong expects a 15 percent growth next month as the festive atmosphere continues. Restaurants are receiving large bookings for community gatherings.

The owner of Tai Tung Bakery in Yuen Long, Tse Ching-yuen, said sales of festive food items such as rice cakes and deep-fried dough dropped 10 percent this year.

He explained that the drop is due to the lack of mainland travelers, despite the border reopening last Sunday. "It does little to help our business, maybe a few percent," he said.

Tomorrow and Sunday will be the "key days" he said, as he hopes for better sales in the coming weeks.

Dry seafood is a popular choice of gift during the Lunar New Year, said On Kee Dry Seafood managing director Richard Poon Kuen-fai, who expects the business to be the same as in previous years. "The festive atmosphere is kind of weak this year, and people still don't have the desire to shop," he said. "Christmas has just passed and some people don't even know the Lunar New Year is coming."

But the dry seafood shop saw a 20 percent growth in its online business as people find it convenient. He added that the shop has recently seen customers who are visiting Hong Kong from the US and Canada, or people who are planning to visit relatives abroad.