CNY Annual Blessing of the Fish

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

Every year, the city of Sun De, near Guangzhou, celebrates the annual blessing of the fish. Several Chinese monks from Lhassa attend the blessing to consecrate and pray. During the event, several trays are assembled containing earthy things like spices, incense, pine cones, ribbons, and so on. The people who attend donate a sum of money for the privilege to throw one of the tray onto the blessed bonfire.

 

After the blessing is complete, the buddhist monks accompany the crowd to the rivers edge where the fish farmers release the fish to be free.

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

Volunteers begin to assemble the trays...

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A Bhuddist monk creates a clay figure

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The larger of two bonfires to be set alight later

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Fishermen gathering the fish to be released later

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More and more things added to the trays

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Bonfire area

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Ribbons added

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First high-ranking priest arrives with entourage

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Mother and child blessed

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Priests assemble for blessing under tent

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Bonfire lit

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Those who donate, begin to throw the tray contents onto the bonfire

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A variety of lovely flowers are thrown to the fire

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[Guest ExChinaExpat]

People help the fish move through the hose into the river area

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Fishermen receive the fish into a netted area in the river

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Man read written prayer by the river

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Priest and entourage walk to the river for blessing

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Fishermen (and women) wait for the blessing to complete

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Crowd gathers to listen and pray with the priests

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Woman receives blessing

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First baby fish swimming free of the nets

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[Urkidding]

Cool story Jesse and thanks for some great pictures...

 

I did notice some other foreigners there helping. Did you help or just observed? How did you find out about this occasion?

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

Cool story Jesse and thanks for some great pictures...

 

I did notice some other foreigners there helping. Did you help or just observed? How did you find out about this occasion?

There was one foreign man helping keep people from getting too close to the fire. He was the only other foreign person I saw. I was busy taking photos so just observed. I have friends in Shenzhen who invited me to attend this. It's about a two hour drive from Shenzhen to an out of the way area on the river.

[Urkidding]

Fishermen (and women) wait for the blessing to complete

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The little girl in the background really sticks out - look at the color of her hair. Do you see a lot of little Chinese kids with light colored hair or was this one with the father that you spoke about?

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

 

Fishermen (and women) wait for the blessing to complete

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The little girl in the background really sticks out - look at the color of her hair. Do you see a lot of little Chinese kids with light colored hair or was this one with the father that you spoke about?

 

 

Yes. I saw her also. But, she was not with the Western man. She was accompanying a Chinese family. Perhaps a Chinese family who is friends with a foreigner took her for the day.

[Fu Lai]

really like the story and pics my man, thank you very much

[Sam and Fen]

Great Story.

 

My wife tells me that during CNY business people go to a Buddhist Temple for blessings to get good luck in business and in China Buddha is refereed to as Bhussa but most Chinese including my wife have no idea as to where Bhussa was born or his story.

 

I can guarantee that most people on this board will not know Buddhas birth place either. Any guesses guys with out Goggling it?

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

Great Story.

 

My wife tells me that during CNY business people go to a Buddhist Temple for blessings to get good luck in business and in China Buddha is refereed to as Bhussa but most Chinese including my wife have no idea as to where Bhussa was born or his story.

 

I can guarantee that most people on this board will not know Buddhas birth place either. Any guesses guys with out Goggling it?

 

 

The earliest stories of Buddha come from India and Nepal, and later moved into the northwestern regions of China and Tibet. I have seen many Chinese pray and show respect to Buddha, in temples and holy sites, but most of them are not religious, or know the history

[Dennis143]

 

Great Story.

 

My wife tells me that during CNY business people go to a Buddhist Temple for blessings to get good luck in business and in China Buddha is refereed to as Bhussa but most Chinese including my wife have no idea as to where Bhussa was born or his story.

 

I can guarantee that most people on this board will not know Buddhas birth place either. Any guesses guys with out Goggling it?

 

 

The earliest stories of Buddha come from India and Nepal, and later moved into the northwestern regions of China and Tibet. I have seen many Chinese pray and show respect to Buddha, in temples and holy sites, but most of them are not religious, or know the history

I see it here in the US too. I think they are just hedging their bets and better to be safe than sorry by paying homage to whatever diety is in vogue.

[Fu Lai]

There are a couple very famous Taoism and Buddhism temples around here so I see a lot of devotion going on. Afterall they are the two biggest "religions" in China and along with Confucianism, predate all the rest. They are so engrained into society that even if you are not religious you understand the truth and pay homage. I am not a Buddhist but I naturally paid respects in Xiamen at their big temple.

 

http://news.echinacities.com/upload/editor/wuhan-(2).jpg

it's temple festival time in Wuhan until 2/25

[Kung Fu Monkey]

Bonfire lit

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Those who donate, begin to throw the tray contents onto the bonfire

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http://i46.tinypic.com/120hs7o.jpg

 

A variety of lovely flowers are thrown to the fire

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I was curious why they burned the object, then I surfed the internet. Here I found the answer from the internet.

But sorry, I am not sure if I can translate it correctly or clearly as my English is not good enough.

About this ceremony,Tibetan call it净供Jing Gong, means pure oblation worship.Taiwanese call it 烟供Yan Gong, means smoke oblation worship.Local People here call it 火供Huo Gong, means fire oblation worship.

It is said that because of the smoke produced through burning the oblation can clean yourself and clean and object, so it called净供Jing Gong, But the common customs see the smoke and fire so they directly called it烟供Yan Gong or 火供Huo Gong.

Significance: It says that the Huo Gong (fire oblation worship) help those unfortunate creatures who incarnated into evil ways, including our dead ancestors.

 

It is said that “borne in the evil ways of karma, because had done evil (bad thing) in the past life, so they have to live in misery and suffer hunger and cold. We can help the evil beings by practicing Huo Gong (smoke oblation worship) and giving food to others (Note: see the master works《本尊海会I》) or the spell etc.. Through the blessing power and spell power, who can make the smoke and applied water into “food and drink” to save the hungry ghosts, so as to relieve their pain.” That is to say only this way of supplying, they can get a little benefit.

Significance: It says that the Huo Gong (fire oblation worship) help those unfortunate creatures who incarnated into evil ways, including our dead ancestors.

It is said that “borne in the evil ways of karma, because had done evil (bad thing) in the past life, so they have to live in misery and suffer hunger and cold. We can help the evil beings by practicing Huo Gong (smoke oblation worship) and giving food to others (Note: see the master works《本尊海会I》) or the spell etc.. Through the blessing power and spell power, who can make the smoke and applied water into “food and drink” to save the hungry ghosts, so as to relieve their pain.” That is to say only this way of supplying, they can get a little benefit.

Best wishes

[amberjack1234]

Hi another new female member. We now have several VERY nice Chinese ladies here posting on this forum. I PM with one of them as often as I can. She is a super person for sure. I hope that you will stay and meet these nice ladies and become friends with some of us too. As you can see and as they have seen there are mostly men here looking for information about how to get their Chinese ladies here to the US but don't let that scare you away. We do like to here from you girls and here from your side of the fence (way of thinking) So WELCOME and post all you like and meet the other ladies here. You will see them post.

 

Larry

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

Hi another new female member. We now have several VERY nice Chinese ladies here posting on this forum. I PM with one of them as often as I can. She is a super person for sure. I hope that you will stay and meet these nice ladies and become friends with some of us too. As you can see and as they have seen there are mostly men here looking for information about how to get their Chinese ladies here to the US but don't let that scare you away. We do like to here from you girls and here from your side of the fence (way of thinking) So WELCOME and post all you like and meet the other ladies here. You will see them post.

 

Larry

 

That was a great write-up from Kung Fu Monkey. It's very difficult to get details about this particular event in Chinese language and information is virtually non-existent in English. Very grateful to Kung Fu Monkey, who may be the daughter of the great Sun Wukong

 

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