Avoid waste in burning votive paper
(Baonghean) - Burning votive paper has become an indispensable need during holidays, death anniversaries, and in temples... However, using votive paper appropriately, both to meet spiritual and cultural needs and to avoid waste, is very important.
Crossing Ben Thuy bridge, go nearly 4 km to visit Củi temple (Xuan Hong - Nghi Xuan - Ha Tinh). The temple worships Mr. Hoang Muoi, attracting a large number of visitors from all over. Here, the votive offerings are diverse in types and designs. There are sets of golden trees, golden peaks, golden branches, golden toads, pineapples, coins, sets of 5 golden coins, gold blocks...
These products are all made of special materials, have a bright yellow color with many unique and eye-catching patterns. Many stalls also display giant horses that are nearly 1.5 meters tall. Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien - a seller said: "Every year, my family sells majestic paper horses to serve customers who come to pray for luck and fortune at the beginning of the year and on the death anniversary in September and October. Every day, I have to mobilize my whole family to complete about 4 to 5 giant horses".
At Vinh market or Quan Lau market, Vinh Railway Station market... the votive paper market "blooms" in many stalls and shops of small traders, meeting all the needs of customers with cars, tables and chairs, elephants, clothes, cigarettes and different types of old and new votive money and gold. In particular, there are products of 1 - 2m high houses with all kinds of designs and types, big and small.
Mr. Hoang The
The important thing here is the price of votive offerings. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Bien, owner of a votive offering shop at Củi Temple, a complete horse costs 350,000 VND, a block of gold costs 30,000 VND. A set of golden deer, a golden peak or a golden toad costs over 100,000 VND, a golden deer branch costs 20,000 VND. Many votive offerings at Vinh Market such as a set of offerings for a multi-storey house and 16 household items cost 250,000 VND... To meet their spiritual needs, many people are willing to spend a minimum of 400,000 VND for a set of offerings. This is clearly a significant expense.
In Vinh City, there are temples and pagodas such as: Quang Trung Temple, Hong Son Temple, Canh Temple, Tria Temple, Can Linh Pagoda... However, according to Mr. Bui Nam Hau - Head of Vinh City's Department of Culture and Information, Quang Trung and Hong Son temples are directly managed by the city, so the bringing of bulky offerings into the temple area has been limited. However, the use and burning of votive offerings is still very difficult to control at temples and pagodas and is really causing waste. In the coming time, the city will thoroughly grasp the spirit and assign responsibility to the management boards at temples and pagodas in the area, requiring representatives of the Department of Culture and Information, management boards of temples and pagodas, and vice chairmen of wards with temples and pagodas to consistently manage the use and burning of votive offerings.
People’s spiritual needs are legitimate and no one prohibits the burning of votive offerings. However, using them appropriately to reduce waste, save costs while still ensuring spiritual culture is something that all levels, sectors and localities need to study and soon have solutions to rectify.
Luong Mai
