Giant paper horses lined up waiting to be burned at Cho Cui Temple

Video of burning a giant paper horse at the Hoang Muoi Temple

Cho Cui Temple, also known as Ong Hoang Muoi Temple (Xuan Hong Commune, Nghi Xuan District, Ha Tinh), attracts tens of thousands of visitors from all over the country every year to offer incense, worship, and pray for wealth and peace - Photo: LE MINH

During the Tet holiday, the number of tourists flocking to the temple is many times higher than usual, making the space in the temple area bustling - Photo: LE MINH

According to observations, on the morning of February 21, the number of visitors to the temple were mainly people from the northern provinces. People bought offerings, including paper horses, to enter the temple to perform the ceremony - Photo: LE MINH

In front of the temple yard, dozens of paper horses have been transported and placed neatly by people. Next to it, the crematorium is always burning because people are constantly burning votive paper and paper horses - Photo: LE MINH

A local resident who came to the temple to pray for wealth and peace said that Mr. Hoang Muoi was a general, so when he came to offer sacrifices, he needed to burn a paper horse to fight in battle - Photo: LE MINH

According to traders near Cho Cui Temple, there are 3 types of paper horses: large horses cost 350,000 VND/horse, medium horses cost from 150,000 - 200,000 VND/horse, and small horses cost under 150,000 VND/horse - Photo: LE MINH

Mr. Tran Minh Duc - Deputy Director of Nghi Xuan District Public Service and Tourist Sites Management Board - said that people buying paper horses for worship at the temple is still going on and cannot be banned. During Tet, due to the large number of tourists coming to the temple, the management board focuses on human resources to guide tourists and prevent fires and explosions - Photo: LE MINH

According to Mr. Duc, in temples of the Holy Mother or the Hoang Muoi mandarin in other localities, people also bring paper horses home to perform ceremonies and burn them, causing waste - Photo: LE MINH

At the peak after Tet, at Cho Cui Temple, about 50 - 70 paper horses are brought in for ceremonies and then burned every day. The management board has encouraged people to limit this, but because the board has only been operating stably for over a month, at this stage, they are focusing on managing monks and people coming to perform ceremonies and perfecting the operating regulations at the temple - Photo: LE MINH

Burning votive paper on Tet holiday from a legal perspective

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ngua-giay-khung-sap-hang-cho-dot-tai-den-cho-cui-20240221152915449.htm