LookAtVietnam – Coming to pagoda to light incense and pray has become popular among HCM City’s young people in recent years.

Getting lucky: Two young girls touch the Mitreya Buddha statue, hoping to get a bit of luck and happiness during the year.

Coming to the pagoda is considered a way to help her escape from stress and remind her to live responsibly and begin a new week with excitement.

“The pagoda which I often visit is very quiet. I feel comfortable and peaceful after going there,” she said.

She added that many of her classmates also like to go to pagodas to pray, particularly on the first days of the Lunar New Year and the fifteenth day of the month.

Dang Thanh Hang, My’s classmate, said that she and her family often go to the pagoda on New Year’s Eve to light incense and pray for good things in the new year.

“I pray that I will have a good job after graduating,” said Dao Minh Phuong, a senior at Van Lang University.

Nguyen Tuan Anh, 23 of Tan Binh District, prays that he’ll get a girlfriend this year. He said that last year he also went to Vinh Nghiem Pagoda and prayed that he will pass a university entrance examination.

Some young people go to pagodas to obtain guidance for their future through fortune telling rituals. This is known as sortilege.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Thanh, an economics student at HCM City National University, likes to visit pagoda for this reason on the first day of Tet.

Thanh said that she drew a poor lot.

“Although the lot I drew is bad, I do not feel sad and worried. Because I know that what is written on the lot is not completely right. The fortune is only entertainment on the first days of Tet,” she added.

However, only some young people, who like going to pagodas for sortilege, have the same thoughts as Thanh. Most of them are influenced by what is written on the lots.

Tran Thanh Thao, a student at the University for Social Sciences and Humanities, believes in what is written on the lots.

She said that she despaired and was worried, because both this year and last year she drew bad lots.

Do Thi Thanh Thuy was luckier than Thao. She felt happy, because she drew a good lot, which said that this year she would find a lover and get married to that man.

She asserts that what is written on the lot is usually correct. Last year, a lot she drew said that she would change jobs and get more money. One month later, she won a lottery and also got a new job.

According to a monk from Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, sortilege is also a folk belief.

“Lots are only symbols of spirit,” he said. “What is written on lots can be right or wrong. It only helps people be more confident in living, and it is a shelter when people meet failure.

“A lot cannot decide a person’s future. Only a person can do that,” he said.

Fortune telling

Fortune telling is also a common practice among, not only the elderly, but also young people in HCM City.

Fortune telling through “mystical” or “supernatural” means (and often for commercial gain), has many variations, including runes, tarot cards, and horoscopes.

Young people like to consult fortune tellers at the beginning of New Year for many reasons.

Nguyen Ngoc Ha, 20, consulted a fortune teller on the second day of the Lunar New Year. She said that she wanted to know whether this year she could go abroad.

“It is difficult for me and my mother to meet this fortune teller. Many people come to his house. He wrote a list of things, which I need to do and avoid this year. If I follow the list, I can go abroad,” she added happily.

Nguyen Tan Hung and Huynh Thi My Phuong said sadly that they also consulted a fortune teller on the second day of Tet.

The fortune teller said that they could not get married this year, Hung said.

Nguyen Ngoc Truyen, senior of Pedagogy University, said that he consulted a fortune teller, because he was curious. He wanted to know his future.

Consulting a fortune-teller is neither good nor bad, he said. Like sortilege, he added, what fortune tellers say is not completely right.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News