Fortune-telling, Temples, Incense

Superstition in China is alive and well, has been for centuries. Today, as yesterday, it has the aura of a social event. Like shopping, going to the theater or dining out, people engage in this shibboleth as a necessary function of daily life. So what's the procedure, how does one get one's fortune read? Where does one go?

These temples are not landmarks

Find a temple. Don't worry, they're not much confused with other places of prayer, worship or hope. Ask any local and they will give directions to the closest one. Surprisingly enough, they're not hard to spot. Found right there amongst shops, apartments, parks or on main streets. They're often identified by a small courtyard. Perhaps, small statues, pools of water or petite gardens decorate the compound. One is usually not awe-struck by their appearance, but they exist as a manifestation of life.

The ceremony of fortune-telling

Visitors and solicitors, upon entering, may see several little rooms, each adorned with a god or deity of purpose. Perhaps the temple may house a single room with many gods. Three gods that locals cherish are: Guanyin (Mother Buddha), the god of fortune and the local god of the land. The villagers will kneel before the image with burning incense in their hands. They may have brought their own incense or they may have purchased it as soon as they entered the courtyard. As they worship on bended knees, they whisper to the god. Introducing themselves and telling of their wishes, they must convey to the god that they are believers.

The visitor will choose a bamboo cup containing slender bamboo sticks. Each stick inscribed with a number. While in prayer, they hold the cup with both hands, shaking it until one stick pops out of the cup. If they have another wish, they shake again until a single stick pops out. One wish per one stick popped out of the cup. While shaking the cup, they should be thinking about their wish.

When they are finished praying and drawing the divination sticks, they rise and take the sticks to a fortune-teller. A busy temple may have 20 fortune-tellers. The visitor chooses the one they like, enters that room and takes a seat at a small table. Sitting down opposite the fortune-teller, one by one the bamboo sticks are given to the seer. The visitor will tell the elder which stick is for which wish. The seer will look at the number on the stick and correspond that to a number in a thick book. The soothsayer will then read a passage in archaic Chinese, unintelligible to the commoner. The mystic must explain the meaning of the passage. The visitor is charged a fee per stick. One stick, one fee. Five sticks, five fees. A common charge is 10 yuan per stick.

If their wishes were granted last year, they must return the next year with 10 paper products. These products are burned, returning the old wishes to the god. As the visitor leaves the temple, it is not uncommon to see a long line of locals waiting to enter. People will stand in line for hours to have a meeting with a fortune-teller.

What is real

Outsiders may view fortune-telling as a hoax. Insiders view the ritual as unfeigned. Transparent donation boxes filled with money; a placard stating that the more you give the more your wishes come true, that is a hoax.

So what’s the future hold? Should one look at the number on a stick or the number on a cable box? Either one. The importance lies in the ability to tune in.

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