Guanyin Tong Guanyin Birthday Temple Fair (February 19th of the lunar calendar)

The 19th day of the second, sixth and ninth lunar months are good days for the temple fair at Guanyintang in Dali. The 19th day of the second lunar month is the birthday of Guanyin, so it is the largest one.

Regarding the on-site text and picture records, excerpts are from an article on the public account of Wuwei Space:

Dali Guanyintang | Go to the temple fair and experience a different market

Guanyintang in Dali is known as the first temple in the ancient country of Miaoxiang.

March 28th this year is the 19th day of the second lunar month, which is the first temple fair of Guanyintang in Dali this year. The 19th day of the second lunar month, the 19th day of the sixth lunar month and the 19th day of the ninth lunar month are all good days for the temple fair in Guanyintang, Dali.

Walking along the streets around Guanyin Pond from Ruifeng Garden all the way to the temple, you will find that both sides of the street are lined with stalls with a wide variety of goods. In Zhangjia Garden and the square in front of the temple gate, there are also densely packed stalls and markets. There are stalls selling special food and snacks, local specialties, high-quality and low-priced clothing, and daily necessities.

I have been to the Guanyintang Temple Fair many times, so I have some experience in going to temple fairs. I exchanged some paper money in advance at a nearby store. Cash comes in handy when I need to buy some items from local elderly people at the market. There are also "begging for alms" beside some main roads, and the change I exchanged in advance can also come in handy.

Walking from the temple gate square to the main hall, I saw that the incense was very popular in the square behind the temple gate! This year, some new volunteers were added to maintain order and guide pilgrims, which was a heartwarming move. The temple's canteen is also open to the public, with special volunteers helping, and it looks orderly and clean.

In the courtyard of the temple hall, there are people who are responsible for helping to "write the form", providing service consultation, directing traffic, and exchanging coins. Compared with previous years, the addition of these volunteer services really solves the pain points of many tourists!

There is an ancient tassel tree on the south side of Guanyin Pavilion, which also blooms brilliantly during the Guanyin Temple Fair. Walking under the tassel tree, a scent of tassel flowers floats in the wind, and the whole trip feels relaxed and comfortable. This has never happened in my previous many trips to Guanyintang.

In many places such as the front yard, middle yard and back yard of Guanyintang, there are devout elderly people chanting and praying for the safety and health of their families and the peace and prosperity of the country and the people. They are spreading kindness and influencing every tourist passing by.

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In short, I found many things different from the other times I went to Guanyintang Guanyin Temple Fair. I saw volunteers serving, people queuing up in an orderly manner to burn incense, people over 80 helping others, and many people maintaining order in the market to avoid congestion... This was my first time to go to the temple fair in Guanyintang, Dali in the Year of the Dragon. I felt good about this trip and experienced a different market.

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