Boc Pagoda is a sacred destination in Kim Lien ward (Hanoi). Right after New Year's Eve, many families come to the pagoda to worship Buddha, burn incense sticks and pray for a peaceful new year.
Mr. Phung Nguyen Anh's family (Ton That Tung street, Trung Tu ward) said that members maintain the habit of going to Boc Pagoda at the beginning of the year to pray for peace, ask for fortunes at the beginning of the year and take horoscopes.
This pagoda has been associated with my family for many years. According to custom, after New Year's Eve, the whole family comes here to pray for peace, hoping for a new year of health and smooth work. Boc Pagoda is not too crowded or has scenes of jostling and pushing, so each person has their own space to pray," said Mr. Nguyen Anh.
In addition to going to the pagoda to pray for peace, the couple wants to take their two children to understand more about the nation's history because Boc Pagoda not only worships Buddha but also the spirits of the Qing Dynasty generals who sacrificed for national independence and freedom.
At about 1 am on the 1st day of Tet, the number of people coming to Chua Boc after New Year's Eve was quite large but ensured order, queuing from the gate to worship. Crowds continued to follow each other into the pagoda to offer incense and worship Buddha, hoping for the best things in the new year.
Boc Pagoda was originally built to worship Buddha, but because it is located in the Dong Da hill battlefield, the pagoda also worships King Quang Trung and the spirits of the Qing soldiers who died in battle in the past. The name "Boc" implies that this is the battlefield exposing the bodies of the Qing invaders in 1789.
Boc Pagoda is a valuable cultural and historical heritage of Hanoi capital, along with 13 mounds burying Thanh soldiers' corpses such as: Dong Da mound, Trung Liet mound, Dong Thien mound, Dau Lau mound, Cay Co mountain, Dong Quang Pagoda, Thanh Mieu... These are all historical relics marking the glorious victories of the Tay Son insurgents in the 18th century.
Every year, on the 5th day of the Lunar New Year, along with the festival at Dong Da hill, at Boc Pagoda, there is also a ceremony to commemorate King Quang Trung and pray for the souls of Thanh soldiers who died in battle at Thanh Mieu.
