Once a year, a line of more than 1,000 plastic stools and deck chairs forms outside Longshan Temple (龍山寺) in Taipei’s oldest district, Wanhua (萬華), to mark the place of people eager to have a lamp lit on their behalf at the start of a new lunar year.
A line began forming on Thursday last week in the plaza outside the temple, and with good reason.
Getting in line early means a lower-number card and earlier registration of the type of lamp a person wants lit to get the blessings of the gods. There are several lamps to choose from, including the Guang Ming (brightness, 光明), the Ping An (peace, 平安), the Tsai Shen (god of fortune, 財神) and the Yao Shih (Buddha of medicine, 藥師).
Photo: Ho Shih-chang, Taipei Times
The temple offers a total of 180,000 lamps, but only 20,000 of the Yao Shih Lamps, which are among the most popular because people want to pray for good health.
The temple began handing out registration numbers at 6am yesterday and registration began at 7am. It is accepting 1,300 lamp-lighting requests each day. Those who are unable to register one day because the day’s quota has been met are allowed to keep their stools in line for the following day.
The first person to complete the registration process yesterday was Shen Hsiang-ming (沈祥銘). Shen said he was diagnosed with bone cancer at the age of 15, and after his father had a Yao Shih Lamp lit at the temple for three consecutive years, he was cured with the help of chemotherapy.
His family felt its prayers were answered because of the lamps, Shen said, which is why he was so determined to be the first in line this year.
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