Date: February 12, 2025 (15th day of 1st lunar month)
Time: 7:00 PM (Local Time, Madagascar)
Venue: Mahavira Hall, Xizu Temple
The Lantern Festival, observed on the 15th day of the first lunar month, stands as one of China's most significant traditional festivals. Its origins synthesize religious, folkloric, and historical elements—evolving from Han Dynasty rituals, Taoist practices, Buddhist ceremonies, and popular legends—embodying the inclusive spirit of Chinese civilization. Historically, lantern exhibitions became a national celebration, with customs like riddle-solving, tangyuan consumption, and lion dances gradually forming its cultural identity. Grand sacrificial ceremonies feature all-night lantern displays to pray for agricultural abundance and national peace, reflecting China's ancient religious-political heritage and the Confucian ideal of "harmony between heaven and humanity."
Ceremonial Procedure
Incense Praise (炉香赞)
Great Compassion Mantra & Heart Sutra (大悲咒、心经)
Maha Prajna Paramita (摩诃般若波罗蜜)
Guanyin Verse & Circumambulation (观音偈/绕佛)
Homage to the Triple Gem (大乘常住三宝)
Dedication Prayer (颂文疏)
Merit Transfer (回向)
We specially invited Malagasy friends who participated in the temple's construction to admire handcrafted lanterns, sharing our heartfelt blessings.
Each lamp embodies the transmission of compassion-wisdom, serving as a bridge beyond life and death. For the living, its light dispels delusion and guides wisdom; for the departed, it becomes a beacon toward Buddha's embrace.
Within Xizu Temple's sacred precincts, lanterns illuminated both the hall and every heart turned toward the Light. Through this offering to the Triple Gem, may radiance pervade all realms—granting the living health and harmony, guiding the deceased to liberation, and sustaining the temple's Dharma voice eternally. Sarva Mangalam (All Auspiciousness).
