Waterloo Street Temple Devotees Queue In The Rain As ‘Angbao Borrowing’ Returns On 16 Feb

Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple On Waterloo Street Sees Long Queues On 16 Feb

Since the pandemic hit, many religious and cultural events had to be put on hold, such as the annual 开库借红包 or angbao borrowing activity at Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple.

This year, the temple has brought the event back after a long 2-year hiatus.

And if the long queues outside the temple were any indication, the tradition has been sorely missed.

In the early hours of Wednesday (16 Feb), over 200 devotees were reportedly in the queue before the temple doors had opened.

The queue situation at 7.20am
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As the rain poured down later in the day, devotees continued to stand in line, undeterred.

Long queues at Waterloo Street Temple in the rain

After ‘angbao borrowing’ had been cancelled for 2 years, Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple earlier announced that they will be holding the event this year.

The activity typically takes place on the 26th day of the Lunar New Year. This year, the temple opened the activity for visitors yesterday (16 Feb).

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According to Lianhe Zaobao, there were already about 50 people queueing up outside the temple at 6am.

By the time the temple opened at 7am, there were snaking queues with over 200 devotees in line. 10 minutes after visitors started entering the temple, it started raining cats and dogs.

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But devotees remain undeterred. Many came armed with umbrellas and stood unfazed as they awaited their chance to pray to the Goddess of Mercy.

Seeking blessings on Angbao Borrowing Day

According to tradition, Angbao Borrowing Day, also known as Open Treasury Day, is the time when devotees can symbolically ‘borrow money’ from the Goddess of Mercy by requesting an angbao at the temple.

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This act signifies seeking the goddess’ blessings.

Those who had their wishes fulfilled after requesting an angbao would then come back to the temple the following year to return the angbao.

Stay safe when going to see Guan Yin Ma

Given the popularity of ‘angbao borrowing’, it’s no wonder many would brace the elements to get the chance to seek blessings from Guan Yin Ma.

Remember to stay safe and maintain good personal hygiene during this time.

And to the devotees who are requesting auspicious red envelopes from the temple, we hope your dreams and aspirations will come true.

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Featured image adapted from Facebook and Lianhe Zaobao.