SINGAPORE, January 1, 2003: About 500 devotees welcomed the New Year together yesterday in a special prayer session held by two adjoining temples in Yishun, one Taoist and the other Hindu. Carrying a milk pot, Mr. Chua Peng Aik, 69, joined other Taoists and Hindus to usher in the New Year. Both temples had been situated side by side in Teachers’ Estate for more than 60 years before moving to Yishun in 1998, after the Government acquired the old site. Apart from New Year, both temples also celebrate together other occasions, such as Tua Pek Gong’s birthday and the Hungry Ghost Festival. Said Taoist Ow Kun How, who took part in the procession, “The Gods that Taoists and Hindus pray to are very similar, so it doesn’t really matter.” Hindu priest P. Pashpathi said, “We teach the Chinese how to pray to the Hindu deities and the Indians how to pray to the Chinese Gods. The regulars pray to both automatically now.”
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