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| The Fairfax Chinese Dance Troupe |
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| The Goddess of Heaven |
Most of them are ethnic Chinese from Vietnam and Cambodia whose families came to the United States some 40 years ago. The event included performances from the Fairfax Chinese DanceTroupe, martial arts, a dragon dance, and lunch (pork, rice, noodles, salad, and cake).
The statue of the Goddess was brought to the school from the Goddess of Heaven Temple in Bailey’s Crossroads. Members of the audience were invited on stage in small groups to light incense at the altar and offer prayers to the Goddess. They were given tangerines as they left the stage for good luck.
The Goddess is more than 1,000 years old. Residents of Fujian province in China prayed to the Goddess for a safe journey and a successful new life as they migrated to Southeast Asia in centuries past, says David Quang, the head of the local Indochinese Benevolent Association.
There are 400 to 500 temples to the Goddess in Southeast Asia, and worshipers again prayed for a safe journey as they went into exile after the Vietnam War.
At least one of the buses from Philadelphia planned a stop at the Eden Center in Seven Corners for some shopping before heading home.