Cyndi Starr Strydom Blog Spot: Chinese New Year 2011

While browsing through my photographs, I came across an event I attended not so long ago and thought I would share the event as for me it was a real treat to experience a Chinese New Year in Joburg (it is the year of the Rabbit after all - my Year!!)

Not sure if many people are familiar with the Nan Hua Buddhist temple in Bronkhorstspruit – but as said it is one of the largest Buddhist Temples in the Southern Hemisphere. No idea what I was in for as I was dragged out with some mates for the day to go for a road trip to the Buddhist Temple and there we were, among thousands of other people attending the event. On my way in, I bumped into Helen Zille (leader of the Democratic Alliance and former Mayor of Cape Town) only to find out that a lot of people form the government are invited to experience this event.

So celebrating Chinese New year, we were breath taken by the temple design, the religious occurrences (remove your shoes before you enter the main temple, the dragon parades and all the festivities going on. Oh and I wont forget to mention the FOOD.

The food ranged from Dumplings to Noodles to Spring-rolls and then also Tofu (and god that stuff smells like raw meat roosting in blood all day in the scorching sun at an abattoir.) We had Noodles for lunch and it was divine.

All the corridors were infested with people with a Chinese market (all made in China - so they say hehe) where you could break into your bank account to buy a sword and become a ninja or purchase a paper Chinese brolley (aka an umbrella) to protect you from the scorthcing sun or to look cool, or even buy some stones with meaning. Either way it was filled with excitment and things to buy, but i was lucky as i was already broke at the time - January you know! Will keep this in mind for next year.

The temple also has a museum where you can walk through and read up on the traditional clothes and different Buddhist tribes and the clothes the Buddhist Monks wear. Really interesting information. Would love to share it all, but i have forgotten most of it. Alas - you will have to make a trip to go see for yourself. I will definitely be returning for every Chinese New Year from now on. Will be worth the road trip and you can take the family with you. So as the Chinese would say 新年快乐 (Xīnnián kuàilè) - Happy New Year. Bit late but what the hell. Next year ill be more clued up on the who is who and whats what at the event!

Some history on the Nan Hua Temple

In 1992, the Bronkhorstspruit City Council donated 6 hectares of land to the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order to be developed into a Chinese Buddhist, Cultural, and Educational Complex. Ven. Master Hsing Yun sent one of his long-time disciples, Ven. Master Hui Li, to build the Nan Hua Temple in Bronkhorstspruit, to attain these goals and promote Buddhism on the African continent.

95% of the construction materials come from local sources in South Africa, including the Chinese style concrete castings of the first floor balcony handrail, which where made in Pretoria.

There are five aims of the Nan Hua Temple:

1. Propagate Dharma: Teach the methods of the Buddha so that people my leave suffering behind and gain joy, to bring true joy to the sentient beings of Africa.

2. Sangha liberation: Educate local people to be monastics, planting the seeds of the Bodhi Way (path of wisdom) in Africa.

3. Ordination: To pass down the Buddhas' precepts for liberation and give refuge to both monastics and laity.

4. Translation of scriptures: To translate the Chinese Tripitaka (scriptures) into local languages to let Africans also have access to them.

5. Construct temples: To construct temples for laity and montastics to live in and practice Buddhism and give sentient beings a place for learning and practicing the Dharma