Biannual Religious Ceremony
Tian-Jin Ceremony
May 27 - 29, 2022
The Tian-Jin Ceremony is organized two times per year—once in May, once in the fall. Led by Master Chen from Taiwan, the Ceremony invites individuals to pay respect to their deceased ancestors by praying with incense during the ritual and chanting scriptures.
During the Ceremony, individuals can register a table of food items for their ancestors and other lone spirits, providing a “feast” of food offerings. The Association provides imperishable food items for each table, which is later donated to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.
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Registration Information
If you're interested in registering a table or spot in the Ceremony, please contact the front desk.
We invite all registrants to join us during the three-day Ceremony in the chanting of scriptures and praying with incense. You are welcome to bring your family members to participate.
If you wish, you may bring your own food offerings to place on your registered table. Often, individuals may order more bags of rice with the front desk to show sincerity and abundance in the offerings. If you leave the food items on the table after the Ceremony ends, we will donate them to the Food Bank on your behalf.
Ceremony Schedule
- The ritual runs from 8 am to 9 pm for the first two days.
- On the third day, the ritual begins at 8 am, and is followed by a fun food-tossing activity at 12 pm for the hungry spirits. The entire ceremony ends at 5 pm on the last day.
- Daily activities will be announced at the start of the ceremony.
Food Bank Donations
After each Tian-Jin Ceremony, the Association donates the remaining imperishable food items to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. Each time, the Food Bank provides large wooden crates to hold all the food items collected from the Ceremony.
We thank all Ceremony registrants for supporting this great deed. The donations would not be possible without the collective efforts of the registrants and our volunteers.
Donation numbers
- May 2019: 16,055 pounds
- Sep 2017: 15,734 pounds
- May 2017: 19,370 pounds
- May 2016: 14,977 pounds
