Hanoi After the spring opening ceremony at the company, Hanh Ngan and more than 100 colleagues boarded three 45-seat buses to go to major pagodas in the inner city.
First, they stopped at Lien Hoa Pagoda, Hoang Mai District, near the company, then went to Quan Su Pagoda, Hoan Kiem District. At nearly 3 p.m., the group continued on the bus to Tay Ho Palace. The road was jammed and crowded with people, so only the leaders could squeeze into the main altar, while more than 100 employees prayed from afar.
"Because it's crowded here, there's jostling and pushing, which is time-consuming and tiring," said Hanh Ngan, 30, an employee of an electronic payment company.
Thousands of people jostle to visit Tay Ho Temple on the first working day after Tet, the 6th day of the lunar calendar. Photo: Hai Hien
On the afternoon of the 6th day of Tet, Mr. Manh Tuan, a 35-year-old construction engineer, and his colleagues also went to a series of temples and pagodas in Hanoi to "pray for wealth and fortune". Their first stop was Tay Ho Temple. Although it was a quiet afternoon, it took him 45 minutes to get to the main yard and dozens of minutes more of jostling to get to the main altar. People kept jostling and praying, but Tuan still tried to finish his prayer before feeling satisfied.
The father of two plans to visit three more temples on the afternoon of the 6th day of Tet: Tao Sach, Van Nien and Tran Quoc, all in Tay Ho district. On the weekend, he will visit more temples in other provinces.
"After the pandemic, all projects were delayed and income decreased by 70%, so no matter how busy I am, I have to prioritize going to the temple," said this construction engineer.
Many office workers crowded to offer prayers on the first working day after Tet. Photo: Quynh Nguyen
According to a survey by VnExpress , from noon on the 6th day of Tet, thousands of people came to worship at Van Nien, Thien Nien, Tao Sach, Phu Tay Ho pagodas, Tran Quoc pagoda, Quan Thanh temple (Tay Ho district), Quan Su pagoda (Hoan Kiem district), Ha pagoda (Cau Giay district) at the temples of Van Nien, Thien Nien, Tao Sach, Phu Tay Ho, Tran Quoc pagoda, Quan Thanh temple (Tay Ho district).
In addition to the areas with private parking lots, many areas have cars parked on the road. The traffic jams lasted for several kilometers on Lac Long Quan, Xuan Dieu, Dang Thai Mai streets and the turn around West Lake (near Tay Ho Palace), forcing the authorities to coordinate traffic flow.
A member of the traffic coordination and order maintenance force around Tay Ho Palace area said that before Tet, the number of people going to the temple had been quite large, but on the 6th, the first day that offices reopened, the number of people going to the temple increased dramatically, estimated to be one and a half times higher than previous days.
Cultural researcher Pham Dinh Hai said that going to the temple at the beginning of the new year is a traditional cultural belief of Vietnamese people, has inheritance and is not against the law.
According to ancient beliefs, Vietnamese people go on spring outings in a joyful mood, enjoying the warm spring atmosphere, watching all things grow and flourish. Going to the pagoda at the beginning of the new year is not only to wish for good things for family, relatives and friends, but also a time to seek spiritual places and learn more about traditional culture.
"But nowadays, the number of people visiting the temple is small, while the number of people coming to pray for fame and money is large, especially office workers. This causes the original nature of going to the temple at the beginning of the year to be misunderstood," said Mr. Hai.
Associate Professor, Dr. Do Minh Cuong, Deputy Director of Business Culture, Association for Business Culture Development, said that the phenomenon of office workers taking advantage of, or even skipping work to go to the temple at the beginning of spring has existed for many years.
Basically, the custom of going to temples and pagodas at the beginning of the year is good, creating a comfortable and peaceful mindset, but rushing to visit temples can easily affect work efficiency, cause traffic jams and litter. To avoid overcrowding and fatigue, Mr. Cuong suggested that businesses should organize spiritual tours at appropriate times to avoid congestion.
The people who go to the temple should also be selective and avoid following the crowd. "Going to the temple is good, but you also need to understand that Buddha is in your heart. Each person should cultivate their mind, accumulate virtue, and gain knowledge and experience to renew themselves, not just rely on the gods to hope for good results," said Mr. Cuong.
People burn incense and pray at Quan Su Pagoda, Hoan Kiem District on the afternoon of the 6th day of Tet. Photo: Pham Nga
Hanh Ngan said that going to the three pagodas of Lien Hoa - Quan Su - Phu Tay Ho at the beginning of the year has been a tradition of the company for the past 8 years. Like other collective activities of the company, going to the pagoda attracts a large number of employees to participate.
"Now it's not just about going to the temple at the beginning of the year to pray for good things, but it has become a corporate culture, an event that strengthens the bond between employees and the company," said a girl who has worked here for 6 years.
Moreover, she found the company's plan for a spring trip to the pagoda reasonable. On the first day of work, not everyone was in the mood to start work right away. The trip helped everyone relax, have fun, and have some quiet time for themselves.
"We arrange to visit temples and pagodas in the city in one session, not taking too much time or energy but still complete, so that the next day we have enough mental and physical health to start a new year of effective work," she said.
Also intending to go to the temple at the beginning of the year after the spring opening ceremony at the company, Ms. Bich Ngoc, 45 years old, in Ha Dong district, was forced to pray from the gate of Tay Ho Palace because it was too crowded and she could not squeeze in. It was a waste of time and she was afraid it would affect her work, so she went home, planning to return in a few days.
"I went to pray for good luck, but outside I was jostled and pushed, and inside I felt uneasy because I was afraid of being pickpocketed, so I went home," she said.
Quynh Nga - Hien Duong
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