Experience a Unique Hong Kong Chinese New Year

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Experience a Unique Hong Kong Chinese New Year

2024-12-19 11:23 Last Updated At：11:40

HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 18, 2024--

As one of the most festive cities in Asia to celebrate Chinese New Year, Hong Kong boasts a vibrant range of celebrations around every corner. In recent years, a lot of traditional customs have been modernised with novel interpretations, blending cultural heritage and innovation for an unparalleled festive experience. Among the highlights are the myriad of fortune-enhancing activities that attract travelers to various temples, where they can immerse themselves in refreshing spiritual traditions like never before.

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Wong Tai Sin Temple: Fortune-Seeking Meets Interactive Technology

Visit the Wong Tai Sin Temple for seeking blessings for the year ahead, where it is best known for its reputation of making most wishes come true. Every Chinese New Year, droves of worshippers flock to the temple on the night of New Year’s Eve (i.e. 28 January 2025), racing to offer the sacred “first incense” to the deity at midnight on the first day of the year, symbolising a propitious beginning and a good omen.

If you miss the midnight rush, visiting Wong Tai Sin during the first lunar month is also considered an auspicious way to kick off the new year. Many people who wish for a year of smooth sailing like to pay respect to their respective Taisui (the 60 deities in charge of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs combined with the five elements of Chinese astrology) at the beginning of the year, making the Taisui Yuenchen Hall one of the most popular spots at Wong Tai Sin Temple. The magnificent hall features a starry LED sky dome with constellations that create an otherworldly atmosphere. Worshippers standing beneath the dome can hear their own voice echo as they pray, creating a sense of divine connection. When placing the petition document into the cabinet in front of the Tai Sui shrine, worshippers will be greeted by a misty special effect with glowing red light, symbolising the deities’ acceptance of the devotee’s intentions.

What’s more, the temple offers an interactive LED wishing wall at its Cultural Centre for Wong Tai Sin Belief and Customs. Upon entering their name and wishes digitally via a QR code, visitors can see them displayed instantly on the wall that stretches from the centre exterior to interior, across the ceiling, witnessing their wishes “ascend to heaven”.

Opening Hours during Chinese New Year:

For detailed opening hours of other buildings and halls in Wong Tai Sin Temple, please visit their website: http://www.wongtaisintemple.org.hk/.

EncounterDigital Fortune-enhancing Experiencesat Ease

Man Mo Temple in Sheung Wan and Tin Hau Temple in Yau Ma Tei are two other popular temples adored by believers. Visitors to Man Mo Temple often pray for academic and career success, while Tin Hau Temple is a hotspot wishing for blessings, and is well-received by local worshippers and intrigued tourists alike.

These historical temples, which are both declared monuments, have been keeping up with the times by digitalising the worshipping experience. The introduction of self-service kiosks allows visitors from around the world to effortlessly purchase incense and offerings. To commemorate the experience, a blessing seal will be stamped on the shopping receipts, and you will get a unique keepsake to carry the good fortune around.

For those praying for prosperity, the “Kwun Yum Treasury Opening” on the 26th day of the first lunar month (i.e. 23 February 2025) is a noteworthy occasion. Eager devotees queue up outside Kwun Yum Temples on this auspicious day, all hoping to symbolically “borrow” wealth from Kwun Yum (the Goddess of Mercy) for the year ahead. Don’t worry if you miss this auspicious event, a number of temples in Hong Kong have got you covered by bringing the activity online. All you need to do is to register in advance, and you can “borrow” virtually on the day of treasury opening. Fortune tokens can then be collected from a selected temple during your next visit to Hong Kong within a designated period to complete the metaphoric “loan” with the Goddess.

For detailed opening hours of Sheung Wan Man Mo Temple, Yau Ma Tei Tin Hau Temple, and arrangement for online “Kwun Yum Treasury Opening”, please visit their website: https://temples.tungwahcsd.org.

The Hong Kong Well-wishing Festival: Tradition Illuminated with a Modern Twist

The Wishing Trees in Tai Po’s Lam Tsuen have long been a revered spot for wish making. Every Chinese New Year, fortune seekers of all ages gather at the Hong Kong Well-wishing Festival, ready to test their luck by throwing the iconic wishing placards. According to tradition, visitors write their wishes on a piece of joss paper attached to an orange, and toss it up to the tree. If it clings to the branches, it is believed the wishes will come true. The higher the placard hangs, the greater the chance of the wish coming true.

Moving with the times, the wishing trees have been enhanced with shimmering luminosity and glowing wishing placards, adding a magical touch to this amusing ritual. Visitors can also try the upgraded new rituals such as blessing lotus lanterns and love locks, alongside a series of exclusive activities in this joyous carnival. Nevertheless, from 30 January until 13 February, the Festival will be embellished with more photo-worthy moments created by floats from the International Chinese New Year Night Parade on display at Lam Tsuen.

Hong Kong Well-wishing Festival

Date: 29 January – 12 February 2025
Transportation: Take bus 63R from Tai Po Market and Tai Wo Railway Station,
*Lam Tsuen New Year Night Market will be held between 29 January and 4 February 2025. For details, please visit:https://www.instagram.com/hkwellwishingfestival.

Hong Kong’s Chinese New Year festivities are a symphony of tradition and innovation, from riveting temple hopping to timeless wishing rituals, the city is bursting with festive surprises. Get ready for your Chinese New Year trip to Hong Kong now and embrace a year filled with blessings and good fortune!

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California man who messaged Wisconsin shooter and planned own attack ordered to surrender guns

2024-12-19 11:29 Last Updated At：11:40

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The shooter who killed a student and teacher at a religious school in Wisconsin brought two guns to the school and was in contact with a man in California who authorities say was planning to attack a government building, according to authorities and court documents that became public Wednesday.

Police were still investigating why the 15-year-old student at Abundant Life Christian Christian School in Madison shot and killed a fellow student and teacher on Monday, before shooting herself, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said. Two other students who were shot remained in critical condition on Wednesday.

“We may never know what she was thinking that day, but we’ll do our best to try to add or give as much information to our public as possible,” Barnes said.

A California judge, meanwhile, issued a restraining order Tuesday under California’s gun red flag law against a 20-year-old Carlsbad man effective until Dec. 23. A hearing was set for Jan. 3.

The order notes that the man had been messaging Natalie Rupnow, the Wisconsin shooter, about attacking a government building. The California man was plotting a mass shooting with Rupnow, according to police notes in the restraining order. He told FBI agents that he told Rupnow that he planned to arm himself with explosives and target a government building, according to the notes. He did not specify which building or when he planned to launch his attack.

It was unclear if the man was in custody Wednesday evening.

The student who was killed in Monday's shooting was identified in an obituary released Wednesday as Rubi Patricia Vergara, 14, of Madison. She was a freshman at the school and “an avid reader, loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band,” according to the obituary. The Associated Press' attempts to reach the girl's family by phone and email on Wednesday evening were unsuccessful.

The Dane County medical examiner Wednesday evening identified the teacher who was killed as 42-year-old Erin Michelle West, after initially identifying her as Michelle E. West. A man who answered the phone at a number listed for West in public records hung up when reached by a reporter Wednesday evening.

Barnes released the name of the shooter, Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow, hours after the shooting on Monday. Barnes said the medical examiner would release the names of those killed, but the state's crime victims privacy law would bar releasing the names of those wounded.

Police, with the assistance of the FBI, were scouring online records and other resources and speaking with her parents and classmates in an attempt to determine a motive for the shooting, Barnes said.

Police don't know if anyone was targeted in the attack or if the attack had been planned in advance, the chief said.

“I do not know if if she planned it that day or if she planned it a week prior,” Barnes said. “To me, bringing a gun to school to hurt people is planning. And so we don’t know what the premeditation is.”

While Rupnow had two handguns, Barnes said he does not know how she obtained them and he declined to say who purchased them, citing the ongoing investigation.

No decisions have been made about whether Rupnow's parents might be charged in relation to the shooting, but they have been cooperating, Barnes said.

Online court records show no criminal cases against her father, Jeffrey Rupnow, or her mother, Mellissa Rupnow. They are divorced and shared custody of their daughter, but she primarily lived with her father, according to court documents. Divorce records indicate that Natalie was in therapy in 2022, but don’t say why.

Tension over police not releasing information had spilled over into a news conference on Tuesday, where Barnes left without taking questions. Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway grew increasingly terse in her responses as reporters asked questions she could not answer.

“It is absolutely none of y’alls business who was harmed in this incident,” Rhodes-Conway said. ”Please, have some human decency and respect for the people who lost loved ones or were injured themselves or whose children were injured. Just have some human decency, folks. Leave them alone. Let them grieve. Let them recover. Let them heal. Don’t feed off their pain. We’ll share what we can when we can and not before that.”

Barnes on Wednesday defended the police department's handling of information about the shooting because it has moved from a crisis response to the investigation phase.

“We’ve been trying to be as transparent as possible to give as much information as we can during the critical phase of this incident,” Barnes said. “Now we’re in the investigative phase. And so the information may not be as forthcoming.”

Tamrin Olden, a former police department spokesperson in California whose company provides communications training for law enforcement, said she advises departments to give routine updates with factual information after critical incidents and avoid unnecessarily delaying the release of information. She said that communications errors can cause frustration in the community, undermine the public's trust and compound the underlying tragedy.

“Your credibility gets tarnished and the incident sometimes gets remembered for these things rather than remembering and honoring the victims, which is where the focus should be,” she said.

The police department has had to correct some key misstatements since Monday, including that three and not five people had died and that a second-grade teacher, not a second-grade student, called 911.

Paul Bucher, the former Waukesha County district attorney who was involved in a number of high-profile cases, said the media has unrealistic expectations about how quickly officials should release information in high-profile incidents. His cases have included prosecuting former Green Bay Packers star tight end Mark Chmura for sexual assault in 2000 and being part of the team that dealt with the aftermath of a mass shooting at a church gathering in Brookfield in 2005 that left seven people dead.

“The government is fed up with the media,” he said. “They have no obligation to disclose anything to you at all. Based on the mayor’s statement, ‘this is not y’all’s business,’ that’s pretty indicative that they’ve had it.”

But Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council President Bill Lueders, a longtime Madison journalist, said Wednesday that authorities should be more transparent with the facts.

“It’s a problem that so little information has been released. I do not accept that this is necessary to protect the integrity of the investigation,” he said. “The public has a right to know.”

The school shooting was the latest among dozens across the U.S. in recent years, including especially deadly ones in Newtown, Connecticut; Parkland, Florida; and Uvalde, Texas.

But it stands out because school shootings by teenage females have been extremely rare in the U.S., with males in their teens and 20s carrying out the majority of them, said David Riedman, founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database.

Abundant Life is a nondenominational Christian school — prekindergarten through high school — with approximately 420 students.

This story has been updated to correct the name of the teacher killed to Erin Michelle West, according to the medical examiner’s office, which initially identified her as Michelle E. West. It also has been updated to correct that Emily Salisbury is an associate professor of social work at the University of Utah, not an associate sociology professor. It has also been updated to correct the day the restraining order was issued against the California man.

Foley reported from Iowa City, Iowa.