KUCHING: The evening air along Wayang Street thickened with incense as worshippers gathered at Hong San Si Temple on Wednesday (Apr 8), where ritual, colour and community unfolded in a ceremony rooted in more than a century of tradition.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr. Sim Kui Hian officiated at the ceremony, which drew together temple representatives, invited guests and devotees in a shared observance.
The proceedings began with the welcoming of deity statues from Sabah and Malaya, reflecting growing cross-regional participation in the annual celebration.
Within the temple grounds, devotees moved steadily through the space, lighting incense and offering prayers in a scene that balanced quiet reverence with a steady flow of visitors.
“It is basically everyone coming together to celebrate and respect each other,” Dr. Sim said when met by reporters.
He added that such traditions continue to reflect Sarawak’s foundation of mutual respect across communities.
“This is important for Sarawak nation-building, because it is the harmony, the respect and the unity that we come together,” he said.
Standing out this year is a 295-foot incense dragon, constructed by the Lian Heng Wushu Association, placing it among the longest of its kind in Malaysia.
The structure, formed from rows of lit incense, is expected to feature prominently in the main procession, symbolising continuity, strength and collective blessings.
The ceremony also included the symbolic purchase of blessing coins by invited guests, regarded as tokens of prosperity and contributions to the temple.
As dusk gave way to night, the atmosphere shifted, with firecrackers sending clouds of red, green and white into the sky.
The colours that represents prosperity, growth and purity, carried symbolic meaning, closing the ceremony on a note of shared hope for peace and continued progress.
