Phuc Khanh Pagoda in Hanoi conducted a prayer for the Lunar New Year on February 25, or the 14th day of the first lunar month. The ceremony will go online to bring followers together during COVID-19.
This has also been done at other religious places.
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic in some localities, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha experimented with an online prayer scheme during the spring festival season in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The scheme is being piloted at 12 pagodas to mark the start of the new lunar year. It is hoped that the trial will meet the demands of the people, as they traditionally head to pagodas and temples in the early spring to pray for health, happiness, and good fortune in the year ahead.
According to monks, performing online practices retains the message from the religion. Amid the complex developments of the pandemic, it is also a good way to protect community health./.
