KLANG: One of the biggest highlights in coastal Selangor during Chinese New Year is the annual Jenjarom Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple’s Lantern and Floral Festival.
This year, the temple, located in the centre of the Jenjarom New Village, would honour the rabbit by turning the temple grounds into a magical spectacle of lights and flowers.
The festival will kick off on Thursday (Jan 19) and end more than two weeks later on Feb 5.
According to the festival coordinator Venerable Ru Xing, who was the Petaling Jaya Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple deputy abbess, it took six months to put up the lights and decorations.
"We have a team of volunteers who seek ideas from the design teams from Taiwan and China.
"They also visit the various festivals there sometimes to pick up ideas for our festival," said Venerable Ru Xing, adding that the festivals in Taiwan and China were held for a whole month.
She said the highlight of this year’s festival was a 3m-tall rabbit lantern.
According to Venerable Ru Xing, this year the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order founder Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s message was: "May benevolence and harmony bring peaceful well-being, let abundance and joy yield auspiciousness in our lives.
"The rabbit is dexterous, skilful and intelligent and our wish is that everyone will adopt these attributes in their everyday lives," she said.
Besides various rabbit-themed lanterns and decorations, the temple would also showcase its vast orchid collection and an array of other blooms.
Meanwhile, Jenjarom New Village headman Ang Peng Kee said the village main roads and side streets would also be adorned with lights and decorations by the residents in tandem with the temple's festival.
"We have a team which comes up with the funds to buy the lights and decorations as well as plan how to go about decorating the place," said Ang.
He added that the temple was visited by thousands of people throughout its two-week Lantern and Floral Festival and this helped the village tremendously.
"Our shops enjoy thriving business, and the village restaurants, especially, make good profits as visitors always stop over for a meal after going to the temple," he said.
The villagers, said Ang, also set up stalls selling a wide variety of items outside the temple grounds as well as various other locations in the village.
The Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple’s Lantern and Floral Festival will be launched on Jan 19 in the presence of Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, Transport Minister Anthony Loke and National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang.
