LYNNWOOD — The Dia Tang Temple, a Buddhist temple that opens to the public only for special ceremonies, will open its gates for several days next week to mark the Lunar New Year.
The temple, at 1705 Filbert Rd. in Lynnwood, was built by monks and lay people using design elements from Taiwanese and Vietnamese temples.
It will open at 9 p.m. Sunday, the night before Lunar New Year begins. From 11:30 p.m. to midnight Sunday there will be a flower offering to Buddha and a few words from the head monk.
The new year’s ceremony is scheduled from midnight until 2 a.m. Monday, and the temple will close at 3 a.m.
On Monday through Wednesday, Lunar New Year days one, two and three, the temple will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Another ceremony comes Feb. 5, the day of the first Lunar full moon. On that day, the temple will open at 9 a.m., and a dragon dance will be held at 11:30 a.m.. There will be a Medicine Sutra reading and candle offering from noon to 12:30 p.m., followed by a blessing ceremony; and at 1 p.m. a vegetarian lunch will be served.
On the ceremony days, anyone is welcome to visit. Expect a crowd at the ceremonies.
The Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, that begins Monday is the Year of the Dragon.
According to the Dia Tang Temple website, construction began at the Lynnwood site in 1993 and the temple was completed in 1998. It was built after the Quan Am Temple, founded by six monks in Seattle in 1986, became so crowded that more space was needed.
For information about the Dia Tang Temple: http://diatangtemple.org.
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