Beijing celebrates Year of the Snake with prayers and temple fairs

(29 Jan 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Beijing, China - 29 January 2025
1. Wide of exterior of main hall of Beijing’s Lama Temple
2. People entering hall
3. Various of people holding incense sticks, praying
4. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Niu Qingshan, Hebei Province resident:
“We want to get rid of all the bad things and physical diseases from the past year and embrace the start of the new year.”
5. Various of people holding incense sticks, praying
6. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Ms Bai (full name not given), Beijing resident:
“We want to seek good omens on the first day of the new year. In the past year, people experienced a lot of things and we hope our lives can get better in the coming days.”
7. Various of lanterns at the gate of the Ditan, or Temple of Earth
8. People tossing coins into containers in shape of gold ingot for good luck
9. Tilt up of containers
10. Close of coins
11. Various of people ringing bells for good luck
12. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Jiang Hecang, Beijing resident:
“Generally speaking, the past year was a very busy one for me because I had to take care of both my kid and my work, which is quite different from earlier years. In the Year of the Snake, I wish my kid will grow healthily and my work can remain stable, then I can be happy enough.”
13. Various of crowds at temple fair
14. Various of statues and items on sale at market
15. Visitor taking photo with man dressed as God of wealth
16. Tilt up of man dressed as God of wealth
17. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Zhang Han, Beijing resident:
“We are Chinese and we are influenced by the thousands of years of history and culture. Our cultures just exist in our blood, both tangible and intangible.”
18. Various of workers cooking at food stands
19. Various of visitors eating
20. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Wang Xinxin, Beijing resident:
“It is New Year’s Day and I brought my children here to experience the atmosphere because the New Year atmosphere in society is fading. Here we can still feel the celebration. Children like mine don’t have much of an idea of what New Year is like in Beijing, but here we can still see some of that.”
21. Various of people taking photos in front of red lanterns
22. Various of snake statue at fair
STORYLINE:
Lunar New Year festivals and prayers marked the start of the Year of the Snake around Asia and farther afield on Wednesday.
In Beijing, people crowded the Lama Temple at dawn to burn their first Joss sticks of the year, hoping for good fortune.
For many, burning incense in front of the Buddha and making wishes are how they ward off bad luck and see in the new lunar calendar year.
“We want to get rid of all the bad things and physical diseases from the past year and embrace the start of the new year,” said Niu Qingshan, from Hebei Province.
Around 50,000 people visited the Lama Temple on the first day of the Lunar New Year, according to the temple authority.
Also on Wednesday, big crowds of Beijing residents and tourists flocked to temple fairs across the city to enjoy the new year festivities.
The temple fair of Ditan, or Temple of Earth park, is the biggest in the Chinese capital.
Visitors engaged in traditional activities such as tossing coins and ringing bells for good luck and sampled some specialty snacks including barbecue squid, roast sausages, and warm pear juice.
“In the Year of the Snake, I wish my kid will grow healthily and my work can remain stable, then I can be happy enough,” said Jiang Hecang, an internet engineer living in Beijing.
The snake, one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, follows the just-ended Year of the Dragon.
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