The Trip in ChinaTown

In the trip, we visited four temples and they were one hindu temple, two chinese temples, and one Mosque. These Religions were Hinduism, Chinese, and Islam. In these temples, we saw different kinds of colors, symbols, and statues, as each religion has different types of beliefs. First, we stepped into the Hindu temple for our first temple. The Hindu temple roof was covered many god like statues, all gathered up together, and they were all colored in various different kinds of texture. There was a lot of pink, blue and green colors in this temple. The floor was covered with marble, and the ceiling was decorated with patterns of flowers. In the temple, a lot of bronze statues were put, and there were a lot of independent shrines, holding a statue of a god. Also, there were a lot of symbols of the fire, as it was shown on the ceiling and the floor. There was a room full of lit candles, as I saw it from a distance. Before I came in, the smell of this temple seemed a little bit addicting, as it was the smell of some flowers. It was a relaxing scent, as the flower's aroma wasn't as strong as a perfume. I felt a little bit safe as if I was in my house, and the temple was silent.

Next, we set off to the Chinese temples and the colors were mainly Green, Red, and Yellow. As we first saw the temple, there were a lot of dragon statues carved and painted. As we stepped, it was surprising to find the chinese temples had a lot of incense, and fire. There were a lot of ashes floating around in the air, as if it was a ritual. The incense had a strong scent. In front of these rows of incenses, there were some flowers, and a lotus-shaped flower candle, burning. It was just like the Hindu temple, as there was some fire burning. There was also a kiln, where people would burn some charms which is decorated on paper. We would wish for what we want to happen, and burn it in the kiln. The chinese roofs were like a palace, and the temple had statues of god, and some paintings. There were some vases, decorated with dragon-like creatures. The Dragon was one of the representative, mythical animals in China. I guessed that it would have been a statue that would protect the temple. People in the temple were praying, as they lit the incenses a lot. Some of these people rang a bell, or hit the drum about three times. Unlike the Hindu temple, I felt unsafe, as the there were fortunes that would make us fear. That was what I thought about Confucianism.

Lastly, the Mosque, which is the Islamic temple was the last one we visited to. However, we couldn't go in as the people had to pray, but this was a great opportunity for us to see it. In Mosques, women are supposed to wear a scarf around their heads, and men were allowed to choose to wear a cap or not. A prayer was coming out from the Microphone, as it was saying "Allah is our only god." Then, people came in. We sat outside of the Mosque, and used our eyes to examine what was happening. Men came in, and washed their hands, feet and face. After the "ablution", they would pray by bowing, kneeling on the ground, putting their foreheads on the ground, and then standing up. Men repeated this, as they prayed along with the prayer, being heard from the microphone. The Mosque was a shape of a dome, just like an onion, as the roof was curved. There were several symbols, like the crescent moon, a star, and the doorways, which looked like a candle. There weren't many colors, as there were only white and an orange like color, wrapped all around the mosque. It was quite boring to see, as there weren't any special colors standing out and no decorations, as there weren't any pictures or statues of god. I couldn't really feel anything, as we weren't in the Mosque to really explore anything.

The common things I found out was that a lot of candles were involved in these temples. In Hindu and Chinese temples, people were lighting candles, as they were often placed in front of a statue of a god. However, in the Mosque, there were only windows and doorways that were shaped like a candle. What did the candle really represent? Does it mean eternal light, just like the Judaism Religion? Fire was sacred to people from the early ages of human beings, and it is definitely important to Religion.