Blessings and prosperity

Red paper lanterns are hung in rows inside the compound of the Tai Hong Kong shrine on Phlab Phla Chai Road in Chinatown. The smell of incense sticks infuses in the air.

I joined other worshippers in a queue for a temperature check and contact tracing registration before we were allowed to pay respect to the Tai Hong deity. During the Chinese New Year, which falls on Feb 12 this year, the place will be crowded as people want to pay respect to the revered monk to ask for good health, good fortune and make merit, a blessing for the start of the Year of the Ox.

The Tai Hong Kong shrine was built in 1909 by Chinese descendants who worshipped Tai Hong, the merciful monk who lived in Guangdong, a province of southeast China, more than 900 years ago. The monk helped the poor and the sick in many places as well as helped…