Saturday, 04/18/2026
Mau Tuat New Year Eve Celebration
Update: 16/02/2018
Deep in the heart of Vietnamese, new year eve, the moment of transferring from old to new year, is sacred. Everyone should be joyful and let things (as unhappiness, worriment…) go with equanimity in mind to receive good energy, good things, wise, compassion, loving kindness, promotion and achievements ... Everyone not only has wishes for him/herself but also for all. It is the cultural beauty of tet (lunar new year) that has been preserved and handed down to generations.
According to Vietnamese tradition, the first day of lunar new year is the most sacred day. In the cool air of eve night, everyone is solemnly dressed up coming to pagoda to pay homage to Buddha, wish for a happy healthy and prosperous new year, listen to teachings from monks, and to take home Buddha blessings together with some green or fresh flowers as the symbol of good luck. With such good custom, thousands of people from HCMC and other regions have come to Hoang Phap Pagoda to celebrate Mau Tuat lunar new year 2018. In holy moment, the Abbot, Hoang Phap sangha and the ashram sit down together to review what have been done in the whole last year to learn from experience and send best wishes to everyone in Mau Tuat new year.
On behalf of the mass, Venerable Thich Tam Trong, Deputy Abbot of Hoang Phap pagoda, sends new year wishes and gratitude of the mass to the Abbot for his large merit. In response, Abbot Thich Chan Tinh sincerely prays for blessings of Triratna shining onto the ashram in new year with happiness, health and achievement.
After that, he delivered a brief talk to advise and encourage everyone in daily issues and practicing.
Spring is the opportunity for everyone to look back the whole previous year for un/done things to learn from mistake and strive for betterment in new year. In 2017, Hoang Phap Pagoda has launched two important events namely the foundation of Ngo Chan Tu Budget for clergy education and Children One-Day Retreat.
Particularly, he himself has prepared a special gift for Buddhists and visitors coming to Hoang Phap pagoda in spring: booklet “Tang Pham Xuan”, a work that contains simple, sincere, mild words and personal seasoned experience of his together with kind illustration. This is a meaningful gift he has wholeheartedly designed for everyone in new year. Hope that this will bring the message of compassion and love to everyone everywhere.
Then in the Dhamma talk, he told an allegory about the greedy dog: A dog entered the butchery and ran away with a big meat. Across the bridge, it looked down the river and saw a dog with bigger bite. Immediately, it dropped the meat in mouth and jumped down the water to grab the bigger meat without knowing that was just its reflection on water-surface. The greedy dog threw the real bite to catch the phantasm. It became a loser due to its greediness.
This fable is about greedy people who always think grass on other fields is greener. They never feel enough or live within their means but chase after dreamy things instead. Desires make people too ignorant to distinguish the right from wrong, the real value from illusion. They are ready to throw away valuable things for delusion.
Then it was time for spring music performance with the contributions of baby singer Mai Vy - song "Xuan Viet" and Minh Chien - song "Hanh Phuc Xuan Ngoi".
In immeasurable joy of new year moment, everyone queued up to receive lucky money (li xi) from the Abbot and monks of Hoang Phap sangha.
Following are recorded photographs:
BBT Website