Dongzhi Ritual

• Date: December 21 (Sunday) – December 22 (Monday), 2025
• Location: Mahayana Temple City Campus
• Address: 133 Canal Street, New York, NY 10002

Dongzhi is a traditional Chinese holiday occurring during the Winter Solstice to pay respects to deceased ancestors. The Mahayana Temple invites you to join us in our two-day Dongzhi ritual. Worshippers will gather with monastics to chant the Ksitigarbha Sutra and pray for their ancestors. As stated in Chapter 7 of the Ksitigarbha Sutra, reciting the sutra with a sincere heart of gratitude will generate seven parts of merit; one of these merit parts goes to the ancestor, and six go to the praying descendant. In addition to paying respects to the deceased, worshippers can also dedicate gratitude toward living loved ones through this ceremony.