China celebrates the new year at the gates of closed temples

China celebrated the Lunar New Year on Tuesday despite coronavirus pandemic restrictions, and small crowds gathered outside closed temples for traditional Year of the Tiger prayers.

At Beijing’s Lama temple, dozens of people prayed before the ornate west gate of the Tibetan Buddhist shrine, which before the pandemic was often packed with worshipers.

Wang Ying, who works at an accounting firm, said that praying at the temple gates was better than burning incense at home.

“Honestly, I think this is more important than burning incense sticks.”, he said after finishing his sentences.

Wang also said she is looking forward to the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics on Friday. On the occasion of the holiday, residents of the Chinese capital also took photos in front of the posters of the Olympic event in the central Tiananmen Square.

Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is the most important holiday in China. Each new year is named after one of the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac, and this is the Tiger.

This year, few people returned to their home towns for traditional family reunions. The strict Chinese policy against COVID-19 can decree the rapid confinement of towns and cities, in addition to the suspension of transport, wherever sources of contagion are detected.

In Hong Kong, the city’s largest Taoist temple, Wong Tai Sin, was closed due to the pandemic, but people flocked to light incense and pray at smaller ones that were open.

The semi-autonomous territory registered a spike in COVID-19 infections in January and local authorities asked the population to avoid mass events. In addition, schools were closed and dining in restaurants after 6:00 p.m. is prohibited.

The number of worshipers at the historic Longshan Temple in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, was significantly low as the pandemic entered its third year.