Kek Lok Si temple will be a garden of lights come Chinese New Year

Brightly-coloured: A man setting up rows of lanterns set to be among the attractions at the Kek Lok Si temple.

GEORGE TOWN: It will be all bright and beautiful at the 122-year-old Kek Lok Si temple in Air Itam come Chinese New Year. Temple’s trustee Datuk Steven Ooi said the temple will be lit up from Feb 6 to March 9 between 7pm and midnight.

However, the majestic lights can be viewed from dusk until dawn on the first three days of Chinese New Year (Feb 10 to 12) and on the eighth day (Feb 17) to observe the annual Thnee Kong Seh (Jade Emperor’s birthday). The lighting up ceremony will be held on Feb 6 when lights at the temple pagoda and the lower station would be switched on.

Ooi said the lanterns and LED lamps would be lit up at 7pm after a chanting ceremony. “We expect more tourists to flock to the temple to experience the spectacular fusion of modern and traditional lightings,” he said. Work to decorate the temple and to put up the lanterns had been carried out since early December last year. It is expected to be completed by Feb 5.

For the first 15 days of Chinese New Year beginning Feb 10, the temple will be open to the public from 8.30am until midnight. Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng will attend the lighting up ceremony on Feb 6.

As in previous years, devotees can donate between RM50 and RM2,000 for the lanterns. The money will be used for the temple’s upkeep. Devotees and well-wishers can visit the temple to register for the lighting-up ceremony. For details, call 04-828 3317.

The Kek Lok Si temple is famed for it’s seven-tier pagoda. It also houses the 20-storey octagonal pavilion, which shelters the 30.2m bronze Guan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) statue.

-thestar online.