Wong Tai Sen Taoism Buddhist Temple

I like this temple. I remember coming here when I was younger with my mom and her friends. Things have definitely changed a lot here as far as the interior design, decorations, and praying stations.
I haven’t been here in over a decade, so my mom and I were newbies. A table by the front entrance has incense and candles. I think you’re supposed to light three incense and then go to every station to kneel and pray. The final station has the vase outdoors (praying to the sky?). They offer side purchases such as this folded-​paper figure (looked like a lantern). You’re supposed to write your name on a piece of paper and stick it into the folded object. Then you put it onto the table where Wong Tai Sen is and pray. A very nice elder will pray for you and hit the drums while she speaks. Very entertaining. Then you take the folded-​paper figure outside to the open burner and burn your folded-​lantern object.
I tried the stick fortune where you pray and shake a container full of sticks with different numbers on them. One, and only one, stick should fall out. Then there are these moon shaped wood (2 pieces) that you drop onto the floor– one palm faces up and the other down means «yes, that stick that fell out is correct.» Each stick has a number that is associated with a scripture. Then there are translators that translate the meaning of the scripture/​fortune for you.
Outside has the open burner, the Buddha with four faces, and food. Come early if you want the free meals. There are also free candy, tea bags, and lucky paper charms.

I’ve been coming here for years with my parents on Lunar New Years so its become a tradition to visit and wave our incenses around with a gajillion other people.
I just go along for the festivities but I don’t really care too much about it really. My dad loves the place though and we’ll observe him going to all the praying stations to donate an offering.
The stations are all colorfully decorated and there was 1 year when they had someone dress up as the God of Fortune holding a black piglet. It was really cute! I haven’t seen any other dress ups since then which is a shame since they can easily do that for year of the Rabbit and Dog too. Maybe even a garden snake for this year xD
I wonder why people don’t just bring their own flowers? They charge $ 12 for a small handful here. And lots of other side stuff to sell to the gullible or the beliefables. :P
Give it a whirl if you’re in the area during this time of year. It’s not the Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights for sure but you won’t get the crowd and parking headache.