If you missed welcoming 2024 in festive Philippines, you always get another chance by experiencing the Chinese New Year (CNY) or New Lunar Year festivities around the country on February 10. Chinese New Year is celebrated in different parts of the world, including the PH, where the government even declared the day before the New Year, Feb. 9, a non-working holiday.
If you are a balikbayan eager to experience traditional festivities around PH to welcome this Year of the Dragon, you’d want to start with Chinatown in Manila, and then visit various Buddhist temples around the country, especially in Manila, Cebu, Bacolod, and Iloilo. These four cities have Fo Guang Shan (FGS) Buddhist temples, which offer visitors interesting activities and delicacies to eat as they ring in Chinese New Year, beginning on the eve of CNY this Friday.
CNY in Chinatown, Manila
If there’s one Chinatown you must visit during Chinese New Year or any time you’re in PH, it has to be the one in Binondo, Manila, which is considered the oldest Chinatown in the world, established in 1594, early in the Spanish occupation of the Philippines. One street worth exploring here is Ongpin, known for its old but gold Chinese restaurants and tea houses, and stores selling all sorts of goods, from herbal medicine to Chinese candy, dimsum, ham, and dried fruits and meat. A food tour here is a must! Stores are open daily from 9AM to 6PM.
Amidst all the old stores, you’ll also find a bigger and newer establishment, the Lucky Chinatown Mall, where you can do more dining and shopping, as well as a countdown concert on Feb. 9, among other exciting events for revelers. (In case you’re interested, malls around Metro Manila, like Power Plant Mall in Rockwell Center, Makati; Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong; GH Mall in Greenhills, San Juan; Estancia Mall in Pasig; and SM Malls all over the Metro have their own fun Chinese New Year activities to delight shoppers and diners, including fireworks displays, dragon and lion dance, martial arts exhibitions, Instagrammable installations, food fairs, sales, and more.)
You must already know that the crowded Chinatown will be even busier this time of the year, especially leading up to the eve of CNY. So brace yourself, dress comfortably, and keep your valuables secure. Check out this video of the 2023 Lunar New Year festivities to know what to expect this year. Don’t miss the fireworks display at the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge right on Chinese New Year’s Eve!
Besides dining and shopping, you may also want to seek out a Feng Shui expert like Tita Maxie, who has a shop in Binondo, where she also sells charms and lanterns you might want to bring back home abroad with you for extra luck this year. You may have already seen her being consulted on TV shows and by some celebrities.
KUBO was able to ask Tita Maxie for some tips for ringing in the New Lunar Year, and she shared that you must place a PHP50 bill (which is red) at the back of your mobile phone case. As you fold the bill, make sure the face is shown on the back cover. According to Tita Maxie, this can bring in good fortune for the coming year, a prosperous business, and generally a favorable 2024. Tita Maxie was quick to add that having this is not enough, of course; it must also be paired with constant hard work and dedication to be fully successful in life.
If you’re doing some shopping in Chinatown, Tita Maxie recommends getting the colorful lucky charm bracelets that have many uses: for wealth, for health, and even for love and prosperity. Check out her video about some bracelets that can be everyday accessories and good luck charms for a prosperous, healthy, and wealthy Year of the Wooden Dragon.
Experience CNY in Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temples
While hitting shopping areas for shopping, dining, and festive activities are great enough ways to welcome the new Lunar Year with family and friends, some may prefer to experience more ceremonial traditions related to this occasion, like visiting temples. Among the temples you must visit during Chinese New Year are those of the Fo Guang Shan, a Mahayana Buddhist tradition headquartered in Taiwan. They currently have four temples around the Philippines: Mabuhay Temple in Manila, Chu Un Temple in Cebu, Yuan Thong Temple in Bacolod, and Fo Guang Yuan in Iloilo. All four temples have prepared meaningful activities for the Chinese New Year.
Fo Guang Shan, which has been in the Philippines since the 1990s, is founded by Venerable Master Hsing Yun (1927-2023), an advocate of Humanistic Buddhism that promotes Three Acts of Goodness: “Do good deeds, speak good words, and think good thoughts.” Humanistic Buddhism focuses on our best qualities as human beings to help cultivate the virtue of goodness and compassion as universal aspirations, regardless of culture or religion. Fo Guang Shan has over 200 temples worldwide.
KUBO lists the different activities you can look forward to when you visit their temples around PH on the eve of Chinese New Year this Friday. Note that all activities are free, although you may donate any amount if you wish.
FGS Mabuhay Temple
656 P. Ocampo St., Malate, Manila
If you’re already coming from Chinatown in Manila, about 5.4kms away or approximately 15 minutes away from Binondo by car (depending on traffic) is the Mabuhay Temple. Since being established in 2009, many frequent the temple for prayers, meditation, chanting, and their latest attraction, the Mabuhay Tea House, where delicious vegetarian nibbles are served together with coffee, tea, and your favorite refreshments. Mabuhay Temple also has an art gallery, a gift shop, and many books on Humanistic Buddhism readily available to the general public.
This CNY 2024, visit the Mabuhay Temple to experience Buddhist Chinese culture and Buddhist services, sample tasty vegetarian cuisine, light a candle and offer prayers to the Buddha, among other spiritual activities.
FGS Chu Un Temple
246 V. Rama Avenue, Cebu City
Nestled at the heart of Cebu City, one easily takes in the breathtaking and sprawling lawns of FGS Chu Un Buddhist Temple. Regular activities in the temple include Buddhist teachings, meditation, and Tai Chi, among others.
During the celebration of Chinese New Year, locals and devotees flock the temple grounds on CNY Eve to witness nirvana land or the transformation of the temple grounds into a fabulous display of lanterns to welcome the New Year with blessings for good health and prosperity. There, visitors can also sample a sumptuous vegetarian delicacy called tikoy (a popular Chinese New Year’s cake made of glutinous rice) and longevity buns for prosperity.
Other attractions and activities on CNY Eve this Friday include the wishing tree, lights offering, calligraphy writing, special performances from the cast of Siddhartha the Musical, and the midnight prayer led by the Temple Abbess, the officer in charge of the temple.
People usually stay until after midnight on CNY Eve to witness the intelligent fireworks display for the New Year. If you find yourself still within the temple grounds of Chu Un Temple Cebu at the stroke of midnight on Feb. 10, try lining up to ring the temple bell for auspicious blessings. For more of the action, watch this video of the previous CNY celebrations in FGS Chu Un Temple Cebu:
Yuan Thong Temple Bacolod
2876 Burgos Street, 6th Road, Bacolod City
The Yuan Thong Temple in Bacolod also displays lanterns and lights to usher in the New Year. There are similar activities on CNY Eve this Friday as other temples, like the popular Wishing Tree, Lights Offerings, and prayers for petitions and thanksgiving for the year that was and the year that is about to unfold. Watch footage of the previous CNY celebration in Bacolod above, and check out the list of events in the image below.
Fo Guang Yuan Iloilo
13-A Fuentes Street, Iloilo City
While Fo Guang Yuan is not as big as the other three FGS Temples in the Philippines, they still have their own Chinese New Year celebration. If you’ll be in the area for CNY, you may want to participate in the candle offering as you say your prayers. There is also the wishing tree for all your special intentions this New Year. It may be just an intimate gathering, but it is equally meaningful.
Tip: Before visiting any of the temples for Chinese New Year festivities, make sure you wear something red, as this symbolizes good luck. And if given the chance, try the Mee Sua Longevity Noodles for good measure! Wear comfortable shoes as there will be a lot of cueing and walking as you explore the temple grounds. And finally, don’t forget to make a vow to try to do good deeds, speak good words, and think good thoughts this New Year! Kung Hei Fat Choi!
