1,000+ queue overnight for LNY blessing lanterns at Longshan Temple

1,000+ queue overnight for LNY blessing lanterns at Longshan Temple

2025-12-15

Temples usually offer lanterns for blessings, and Taipei’s Longshan Temple is no different. The lanterns are lit on Lunar New Year’s Eve and are believed to offer blessings of one’s choice for the year ahead. On Monday, Longshan Temple began taking in-person registrations, limited at 800 slots a day for three days. But that wasn’t enough for the 1,000+ worshippers queuing overnight. The temple said it might consider adding more slots, and urged people to register and pay online so they won’t have to wait in the cold weather.

It’s already past midnight and only 10 degrees, but several hundred are already lining up outside Taipei’s Longshan Temple.

At 6 a.m., the temple opens its gates. The crowd is eager to get in to register for a lantern to light up on Lunar New Year’s Eve. The first worshipper in line has won the coveted first spot for 15 consecutive years.

Worshipper
First in line
I started queuing on the 9th. I’m mainly queuing for the medic’s lantern. It offers protection from illnesses. Also the lantern for peace. It’s to keep the whole family safe from harm.

Temple authorities began taking in-person registration for lantern lighting on Monday, starting with 800 slots every day until Wednesday. All 800 slots for the first day of registration were snapped up within half an hour. Many left empty-handed.

Tseng Hsien-chu
Longshan Temple
There will be more people on the first three days, so we’re allocating 800 slots a day for now. If all goes well, we may add on another 200 so that there would be 1,000 slots in total for each day.

Earlier, the temple already offered online registration and payment so people won’t have to wait out in the cold, but some older adults still opted for in-person registration and queued overnight.

Worshipper
Queued in person
Yes, it’s available online, but you need a credit card. I don’t have a credit card, and I find it troublesome to get one, so I queued in person.

Worshipper
Queued in person
We older people don’t know how to do it on the Internet, so it’s really inconvenient. We have no other option but to get up really early to be in line.

Meanwhile, the temple authorities say they will try to add on more slots for in-person registration so that all worshippers will get to light a lantern of their choice.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#taiwan #lunarnewyear #tradition #folkreligion #temple

龍山寺今起發800張號碼牌點燈逾千人徹夜排隊

2025-12-15

再過兩個月就是農曆春節了，台北艋舺龍山寺，今天(15)開放現場報名點燈，一連三天凌晨6點，發放800張號碼牌，吸引上千人徹夜排隊，光是第一天，短短半小時全數發完，頭香民眾已連續15年搶第一，但仍有大批信眾沒領到號碼牌，對此，廟方表示，將視人潮情況加開到1000人，也呼籲民眾踴躍使用網路點燈。

深夜裡，大批民眾頂著10度左右的低溫，在台北艋舺龍山寺外徹夜排隊，排隊人潮綿延上百公尺。

清晨6點一到，廟方開啟鐵門，人潮蜂擁而上，頭香民眾領到號碼牌，超級開心，這已經是她，連續第15年搶到龍山寺點燈頭香。

[[點燈頭香民眾]]
“大概就從8號開始排，最主要就藥師燈，藥師燈就是人在江湖會生病，再來就是平安燈，平安燈就是保平安，全家平平安安”

15號開始，龍山寺開放現場報名點燈，一連三天限量800張，第一天短短30分鐘全數發完，依舊不少民眾撲空。

[[龍山寺總幹事曾憲巨]]
“這頭三天人數會比較多，我們每一天先開放800(人)，如果我們進行的順利的話，我們會考慮再增加200(人) ，讓他的燈數可以到1000(號)”

儘管呼籲不要夜排，採用網路點燈，但部分長者不會使用網路，依舊選擇夜排。

[[點燈民眾]]
“網路，網路是有，可是用網路因為要信用卡，我沒有辦信用卡，我覺得很麻煩，我就來這邊排”

[[點燈民眾]]
“因為老人家不會用網路，實在也很不方便，所以不得已，一定要一大早起來排隊”

由於點燈狀況相當踴躍，廟方強調，將視情況加開現場報名人數，盡可能滿足每位信眾。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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