Wat Dhammakatanyu
After bidding farewell to the New Year’s celebrations, Chinese New Year is coming in hot just a few days away. With the festive spirit rising and many events popping up, it’s time to embrace the Chinese New Year spirit by catching this lantern festival.
The Lantern Festival is a CNY event held at Wat Dhammakatanyu aka Xian Lo Dai Tien Gong Temple. It’s a picturesque Chinese temple located in Bangpu, Samut Prakan. The Lantern Festival offers thousands of lanterns in different sizes and shapes, a dragon show, and a lion show, painting the entire temple with lively energy.
Walk around a Chinese temple with the Five Guardian Generals
Image credit: @pisit_tangchaiworrawong via Instagram
Before we talk about the festival, let us tell you a bit about this beautiful temple. Located in Bangpu, Wat Dhammakatanyu is a big traditional Chinese temple complex that was designed by a Taiwanese architect.
Image credit: @chaiwatcharoensri via Instagram
The temple leaves an impression on visitors with its intricate Chinese patterns and designs, be it a big red Paifang, red-golden roofs adorned with Chinese mythical animals, or huge guardian lions sitting before a shrine.
The highlight of this sanctuary is it houses the Five Guardian Generals from different five clans — Li clan (李), Xu clan (徐), Wu clan (吴), Zhu clan (朱), and Fan clan (范). According to the belief, they are the gods of honesty and were sent by heaven to protect and guide humans. These gods are highly worshipped among the Taiwanese.
For those who don’t know which god to pay respect to first, you can ask the employees to guide you.
Make a wish at The Lantern Festival
Image credit: @nuna2528 via Instagram
During the Lunar New Year, Wat Dhammakatanyu will be holding the Lantern Festival for locals to celebrate and make wishes. The festival is filled with thousands of lanterns in different sizes and shapes, which are imported from Taiwan. You can also enjoy dragon and lion shows and several Thai-Chinese performances.
Just about one hour from Bangkok, this temple is an interesting place for people who seeking a Chinese place to celebrate the Lunar New Year, pray, and make offerings.
Getting to Wat Dhammakatanyu
We have found our place for the Chinese New Year’s celebration. What about you? Are you interested in joining us at this temple? The festival runs until March 3rd, allowing you to visit at your convenience.
Driving to the temple from Bangkok takes about one hour, or you can take the BTS Skytrain to the Kheha Station and grab a taxi ride to the temple.
Seeking more places to go? Check out 10 Thong Lor Cafes to chill out with your work, 11 cycling spots to go cycling for fun, and 10 hidden bars in Bangkok with remarkable themes and cosy ambience.
Address: 5 ซอยมูลนิธิธรรมกตัญญู ถนนสุขุมวิท Bang Pu Mai, Mueang Samut Prakan District, Samut Prakan 10280
Opening hours: 8am-5pm, Daily
Nearest train station: BTS Kheha Station
Contact: Wat Dhammakatanyu’s Facebook | Google Maps
Cover image adapted from: @pisit_tangchaiworrawong via Instagram and @nuna2528 via Instagram