Fortune Telling
It is still the first week of the New Year and many people like going to
temples to burn incense, pray for favours and have their fortune in the
coming year revealed to them.
There are many ways of fortune
telling but throwing the bamboo sticks is the most usual method. On the
second day of the Lunar New Year, local celebrities do that for Hong
Kong even though I for one have not given them the permission to do so.
When
people are at a loss or stuck in a situation, instead of confiding in
someone, they go to a temple, get the bamboo stickers container, kneel
down and ask the question like "Should I sell my stocks?" The next step
is to shake the container and pray for an answer. One stick with a
number will fall out and the person will then go and get a slip of paper
with that number on it. The paper gives a poem which is to be
interpreted in the context of the question asked. The poem may sometimes
be too difficult to understand and help from the experts will be
needed. Usually there is one if not more in the temple or the
neighbourhood.
Though brought up as a Catholic, I think there is
no harm in going to temples and praying to whichever deity chosen
because all deities are to help and not harm humans. And this is a big
part of Chinese tradition that we have to honour. But all fortune
telling, whether Chinese or Western, is not to be taken too seriously.
At most, it is to be used as reference or warning.
