Paying Respects to Deities to Ward Off Bad Luck and Bring Good Fortune

During the Chinese New Year festival, which is also the New Year festival for Thai people of Chinese descent, we start the year with good deeds by paying respects to deities to ward off bad luck and bring good fortune. This year, we made merit at Wat Leng Nei Yi in Yaowarat. During the Chinese New Year, the temple has special opening hours until 11:00 PM. We bought a set for warding off bad luck for 100 baht each. You can donate cash to the temple by putting it in the donation box, then write your name, surname, date, month, year of birth, and time of birth. After that, we performed a ritual to drive away bad luck in front of the Tai Sui deity to pray for longevity and good health. We then placed the set at the designated area for the temple to perform the ritual for the owner of the horoscope. Wat Leng Nei Yi is beautifully decorated with various lanterns, especially in the main hall where we pay respects to the Buddha, as well as other areas around the temple where we can worship various deities. However, it is quite crowded. Normally, the temple closes at 4:00 PM, but it has special hours during the Chinese New Year.