Thien Hau Temple, Los Angeles

The Thien Hau Temple, situated in Los Angeles's Chinatown, is a Chinese religious site dedicated to the ocean goddess Mazu. This temple is quite popular among Asian residents in the Los Angeles area, serving as both a place of worship and a tourist attraction. Besides Mazu, the temple also honors Guan Sheng Di Jun, a martial deity associated with justice, and Fu De Zheng Shen, a wealth deity.

The temple is linked to the Camau Association of America, a local organization that supports Chinese-Vietnamese refugees from Cà Mau Province, Vietnam. Additionally, this association provides assistance to Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai Chinese communities in the region.

Originally, the temple was housed in a former Italian Christian church located in what was once Little Italy. In the 1980s, the Camau Association acquired the building and renovated it. The temple's three main statues of Mazu, Guan Yu, and Fu De were imported from Vietnam and consecrated in 1990. With strong community support, both within and outside Chinatown, the temple raised significant funds to construct a larger temple hall. The new temple was completed in September 2005, and a memorial hall for ancestors' enshrinement was consecrated the following month.

Thien Hau Temple in Chinatown is a hub for festive events, especially during Mazu commemorations and Chinese New Year. People gather there to seek blessings, offer incense, enjoy lion dances, and light firecrackers to ward off evil spirits. Representatives from over 25 family associations participate in the midnight firecracker lighting. The temple is like Chinatown's "Times Square" during Chinese New Year, attracting many visitors in the first week for blessings.