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| When did the Longhua Temple Fair come into being?And when is it being held? |
Temple fair is a kind of traditional markets in China, which is usually held on the festival day of the temple. The Longhua Temple Fair is a temple market, the largest of its kind in Shanghai. It was started in the Ming Dynasty, tracing back more than 400 years in history.
The Longhua Temple is said to be the preaching pulpit of the Maitreya Bodhisattva. On every 3rd of the 3rd lunar month in the past, the very day when the "Cloth-Bagged Monk" fell into nirvana Buddhist ceremony ;vas held here on a grand scale and in the meantime most of the religious activities of the Longhua Temple were also being held during the very month. By the time the peach blossoms of the temple are in full bloom and pilgrims joss-sticks in hand, and tourists as well thronged in one on the heel of the other from places far and near around Shanghai, presenting a fervent atmosphere in the area of the temple. And at the same time peddlers also gathered in the nearby areas, setting up stalls or carrying their goods around hawking and selling. As time went by a brisk market came by and by into being, known as Longhua Temple Fair.
The Longhua Temple is said to be the preaching pulpit of the Maitreya Bodhisattva. On every 3rd of the 3rd lunar month in the past, the very day when the "Cloth-Bagged Monk" fell into nirvana Buddhist ceremony ;vas held here on a grand scale and in the meantime most of the religious activities of the Longhua Temple were also being held during the very month. By the time the peach blossoms of the temple are in full bloom and pilgrims joss-sticks in hand, and tourists as well thronged in one on the heel of the other from places far and near around Shanghai, presenting a fervent atmosphere in the area of the temple. And at the same time peddlers also gathered in the nearby areas, setting up stalls or carrying their goods around hawking and selling. As time went by a brisk market came by and by into being, known as Longhua Temple Fair.
The Longhua Temple Fair witnessed rises and falls twice in history. It was only after 1980s that it began to boom with every passing year, arresting the interest of a great nnmber of pilgrims and tourists both domestic and foreign. Now they can not only bustle and hustle aronnd at the temple fair on every 3rd of the 3rd lunar month but also relish the delicious vegetarian dishes in the Longhua Temple while listening to the Buddhist music of rhythmic cadence and enjoying folk performances from various places in around Shanghai. |
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