Thien Hau Temple
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Thien Hau Temple, also known as Chùa Bà Thiên Hậu in Vietnamese and as Tiān Hòu Gōng (天后宫) in Chinese, is a Taoist temple in Los Angeles Chinatown. It is one of the more popular areas for worship and tourism in the Los Angeles area. Thien Hau Temple is dedicated to Mazu, the Taoist goddess of the sea and patron saint to sailors, fishermen, and to those whose cultures are associated with the sea, along with Guan Yu, the god of wars, brotherhood, and righteousness, and Fu De, the god of the earth, wealth and merit. Dizang, a bodhisattva from the Buddhist faith also has his own shrine in the temple.
The temple is associated with the Camau Association of America, a local benevolent, cultural and religious association primarily directed at and associated to the local Chinese, Vietnamese, Teochew and Thai Chinese communities.
The original building of the temple was originally a Christian church and was bought in the 1980s and transformed into a small Taoist temple. It gained popularity and has been able to raise a great deal of donated money with which to build a larger and grander temple next door, which was completed in September 2005. They also dedicated a new ancestral memorial hall dedicated to the bodhisattva Dizang the following month.
On the eve of Chinese New Year, many members from various communities gathers to receive a blessing and to burn incense in worship of the deities. Lion dancers perform and firecrackers are popped in order to scare away an evil spirits. Representatives from over 25 family associations headquartered in Chinatown and other communities are present to light the firecrackers. The temple is often seen in LA Chinatown as a local "Times Square" to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
On regular days, such as the 1st and 15th day of the New Year, the ceremonial bell and drum outside of the temple are played and only vegetarian food is consumed. On some special days, meat is also offered and consumed at the temple, but due to their Buddhist influence, meat is often eaten outside and away from the temple.
Many people come to the temple especially during the first week after New Year to receive a blessing for the year. On the 15th day of the New Year people come to the temple to ask for money from Matsu and to pay back what they promised to her. (Generally, double the amount of money borrowed is paid back to the temple the next year.)
The temple also holds a Ghost Festival ceremony in the summer. Buddhist monks invited from Hsi Lai Temple are usually invited to chant sutras.
The temple is known to be a supporter and benefactor of the Taiwan based Buddhist organization Fo Guang Shan.
