Auspicious tiger says goodbye to the old year meanwhile jade rabbit says hello to the new year. January 21 in 2023 is traditional Chinese New Year’ s eve. Under the leadership of abbot Shi Yongxin, Shaolin monks followed the tradition with a history of more than 1, 000 years to paste couplets, worshiped ancestors, stay up until late, strike the bell and pray for blessings. Welcome and celebrate the new year festively and happily.

All halls of Shaolin Temple  were already pasted Spring Festival couplets with complete mind of Chan on New Year’ s eve. This year Shaolin Temple collected more than one hundred couplets through the website, selected some works suitable for temple’ s halls and also invited calligraphers to write devoutly. Couplets with mind of Chan add the festive atmosphere to the ancient temple. Masters and visitors also stop to appreciate them time and again.

The board was stroke to gather in Shaolin Temple at 3 pm and abbot Shi Yongxin guided disciples to do evening reciting. That night Karmadana headed the procession to the Abbot Hall, bidding farewell to the outgoing year and celebrating the New Year’ s Eve. Abbot Yongxin gave a dharma teaching to explain Shaolin Temple’ s tradition with a history of more than 1, 000 years, strengthen Shaolin Temple’ s family tradition of loving the country and religions and abiding by the old doctrine, and also hope Shaolin monks take efforts to improve, benefit sentient beings and shoulder the responsibility of Buddhism in the new year.

At 11 pm, abbot Yongxin and Shaolin monks offered incense for blessings. Pray for world peace, prosperity and safety of the country and people, social harmony and human happiness, Shaolin Temple’ s permanence of Buddhist dharma, and increase of Shaolin monks’ wisdom.

Abbot Yongxin stepped up the Bell Tower to toll the bell at zero o’ clock of the first day of the first lunar month in the Guimao Year to bless peace and stability of the earth and physical and mental health of people. That day all overseas Shaolin cultural centers also celebrated the Lunar New Year of Rabbit through various ways.

January 22 is the first day of the first lunar month in the Guimao Year. After the morning reciting, Shaolin monks, under the guidance of abbot Yongxin, headed to the square of the Gateway to raise the national flag and sing the national anthem, praying for prosperity of the country, and health, freedom and happiness of Chinese people. (Edited by Zou Xiang, Yue Long and photographed by Fu Xueliang, Zhao Yongjie)