We happened to be in Hong Kong during Holy Week. After joining a friend for Easter mass and brunch afterward, we hopped on the tram and took it back downtown.
We spent the afternoon exploring more of Hong Kong Island. To start, we made our way towards Man Mo Temple.
I had never seen a temple like this one before. The ceiling was entirely covered by enormous
incense coils-all of which were burning.
There were signs advising wariness of these coils, as not all of them
had trays suspended above them to catch the ashes. The floor was covered with the ashes of the
spent incense.
The décor inside the temple was quite dark and mostly red
and gold-similar to Po Lin Monastery. This
particular temple is dedicated to two gods-Man (God of Literature) and Mo (God of War). There is a rich history surrounding the
temple. A large sign outside the temple
summarized how instrumental Man Mo Temple has been in creating schools and
supporting education in Hong Kong.
When we had finished, we consulted our maps and noticed that
the street of antiques was nearby.
How could we resist?
That temple is beautiful!! Perhaps more elaborate than some in Japan?
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about Easter in Hong Kong, too!
I have seen some pretty elaborate temples in Japan, though the styles are certainly different!
DeleteEaster in Hong Kong was very present. In Japan it is, like all Christian holidays, completely commercialized. But in Hong Kong, their is actually a present Christian population, so that, naturally, makes a huge difference.
Thanks for the comment!