Visiting Ba Pagoda and attending the lantern auction.

Text and photos:Huynh My Thuan

Every spring, starting from the first day of the Lunar New Year, people from all over flock to Ba Binh Duong Pagoda, located on Cach Mang Thang 8 Street, Phu Cuong Ward, Thu Dau Mot City, Binh Duong Province, to offer incense and pray for good fortune and prosperity in business. Most of the pilgrims are ethnic Chinese living in Ho Chi Minh City. The pilgrimage continues until the Lantern Festival (the 15th day of the first lunar month).

On this occasion, thousands of people gather at Ba Chua Xu Pagoda to participate in the procession of the palanquin of Ba Chua Xu - Ba Thien Hau, a festival established by the Chinese community in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. According to the Chinese associations, it is said that she was born on March 23rd, 1044 (the year of the Monkey). At the age of eight, she could read, and at eleven, she began practicing Buddhism. At thirteen, she received divine teachings from a stack of ancient books found in a well, and practiced according to them to attain enlightenment.

Once, her father and two brothers were transporting salt to sell in Jiangxi Province (China) when they encountered a great storm. At that time, she was weaving cloth next to her mother, but she was overcome with emotion and went to save her father. She used her teeth to bite the hem of her father's robe and held onto her two brothers with both hands. Just then, her mother called out to her; she barely managed to answer her mother before the waves swept her father away, leaving only her two brothers to be saved. Since her father's death, she has frequently rescued people in distress during storms at sea. After her death, the local people built a temple in her honor. In the year of the Tiger (1110), she was bestowed the title of Heavenly Empress Holy Mother. The significance of worshipping her continues to be passed down among the Chinese, who built a temple dedicated to her in Binh Duong, a place where pilgrims come to worship and pray for wealth and good fortune during the Lunar New Year.

During the festival, the palanquin carrying the Goddess is paraded through the streets and neighborhoods of Thu Dau Mot city center, bestowing blessings upon every household before returning to the temple. The procession usually takes place around 3 PM. Leading the palanquin are lion and dragon dance troupes from Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces, with hundreds of brightly colored dancers. Children dressed as celestial beings carry and toss flowers from the parade floats, creating a fireworks display along the nearly five-kilometer route. Following them are groups dressed as the deities of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity, along with the characters of Tang Sanzang and his disciples, walking on stilts, and Western and Chinese bands, creating an extremely lively atmosphere.

Wherever the palanquin carrying the Goddess goes, people scramble to light incense and pray for her blessings and good fortune. In front of each house, a solemn altar is set up, filled with flowers, fruits, incense, and candles; red envelopes are distributed when the lion, dragon, and unicorn dance troupes pass by and perform, bringing good luck to each household.

Notably, before the festival at the temple, there is an auction of lanterns brought from other temples. Each lantern consists of 9 to 12 pieces, depending on the temple. Each lantern has its own name and meaning. The names of the lanterns include: "One Source, Ten Thousand Benefits," "Twofold Prosperity," "Three Stars, Longevity and Good Fortune," "Four Seasons, Prosperity and Success," "Six Horses, Seven Stars, Eight Immortals, Longevity and Lasting Life." The lanterns are auctioned off for several million to nearly 100 million dong, purchased by local and Ho Chi Minh City Chinese businesspeople as New Year's blessings, hoping for good fortune in their businesses throughout the year. All proceeds are donated to charity.

The Ba Binh Duong Temple Festival is a unique festival of the Chinese community and also a spring festival for the people of Binh Duong. The festival attracts people from all over to enjoy the folk culture, pick lucky branches for the new year, and wish each other "favorable weather and happiness in every home."

The Thanh