Regulations needed for temple donations

      At a meeting in Ha Noi yesterday, the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism asked relevant authorities to propose measures to manage the money that pilgrims give to temples.
In response to media reports on pilgrims’ superstitious acts, such as throwing paper-money and coins into temples or putting banknotes on altars to seek wealth in many recent festivals, the Minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism, Hoang Tuan Anh, met with the authorities of a number of provinces where traditional festivals are held to find solutions to the problem.
Vu Xuan Thanh, Chief Inspector for the Ministry, blamed the problem for people’s lack of respect to sacred places.
He pointed out that at many festivals, or even sacred places like Dong Yen Tu ( Yen Tu Bronze) Temple, Tran Temple in Nam Dinh Province or Huong (Perfume) Temple, local people always organize traditional games, including cock fighting, boat races and Chinese chess for gambling purposes, causing inconvenience and nuisance to devout pilgrims.
Aside from fortune tellers, sellers of incense, candles and votive papers display their goods in front of gates of temples, causing congestion especially on days with important rites.
One of the main reasons, emphasized Thanh, is that there has not yet been a regulation on management of the money collected from festivals, as well as benefactors’ donations to temples.
He added that many families have now taken advantage of such a loophole by transforming their own homes into temples so that they can receive donations from innocent pilgrims.
Mr Anh requested relevant authorities to propose solutions and measures to cope with the problems.
He said that it is necessary to have an appropriate policy to manage the money collected from festivals and donations to temples in a transparent way.
The proceeds should be managed appropriately to be used for purposes like restoring or embellishing temples, added Anh.