{"id":168913,"date":"2026-02-18T00:48:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T00:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/168913\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T00:48:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T00:48:10","slug":"monks-lunar-new-year-festivities-at-fort-worth-temple-include-walk-for-peace-reflections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/168913\/","title":{"rendered":"Monks\u2019 Lunar New Year festivities at Fort Worth temple include Walk for Peace reflections"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Marissa Greene, Fort Worth Report
February 17, 2026<\/p>\n

By the end of the first day that 19 Buddhist monks spent walking from an east Fort Worth temple toward the nation\u2019s capital, all of Venerable Samma Maggo\u2019s toenails fell off. The skin of his feet also peeled off.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yet the 68-year-old continued to participate in the Walk for Peace for 83 more days.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Maggo told dozens of attendees gathered at the temple Monday night that from the beginning, he accepted the idea he may not be able to complete the entire walk by foot. Participating was enough. After all, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel the pain, but my mind is so strong,\u201d Maggo said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Maggo parted ways with the group in mid-January and reunited with the sangha, or his community of fellow monks, the day before they arrived in Washington, D.C., 108 days<\/a> after their departure from Cowtown. He was one of several monks who shared reflections on participating in the Walk for Peace journey during the temple\u2019s Feb. 16 Lunar New Year\u2019s Eve festivities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"(MariaVenerable monks share their experiences of the Walk for Peace at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center on Feb. 16, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n

Hundreds gathered at the east Fort Worth temple Monday evening for a nightlong agenda of Lunar New Year festivities to welcome the Year of the Fire Horse. Attendees shared Vietnamese food such as pandan waffles, watched cultural dances and snapped pictures of the temple grounds adorned with flowers and colorful lanterns illuminating the night sky.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"(MariaVendors line walkways inside the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center selling food and other items on Feb. 16, 2026, in Fort Worth. Lunar New Year\u2019s Eve attendees enjoyed a variety of food, drinks and desserts before celebrations at midnight. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n

Inside the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center\u2019s shrine hall, monks talked about their Walk for Peace. The monks \u2014 and their loyal pup Aloka \u2014 returned to Fort Worth<\/a> on Feb. 14 after completing the 2,300-mile walk<\/a> to promote peace and healing.<\/p>\n

Venerable Douangphaneth Mingsisouphanh, also known as Venerable Suvanno, used humor and candor in sharing his reflections of the four-month journey.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Initially, he didn\u2019t think people would be interested in their walk. As supporters began to show up in the hundreds along the group\u2019s path, he thought they were in the area for a concert, he said. He was surprised to learn they were cheering for the monks.<\/p>\n

He jokingly referenced the walk as a \u201crun for peace\u201d because of how fast group leader Bhikkhu Pannakara trekked.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His body ached and suffered along the grueling journey, but he used breathing and meditation to keep going. Suvanno said he felt energized to continue when passing people who smiled, cried with joy or pressed their hands together and offered a slight bow out of respect.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI never thought this would happen,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have to keep going and practice our mindfulness. And one day we will have peace together, and we can live in this world with peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pannakara and leaders of the temple gave framed certificates to the monks who participated in the walk. The 150 volunteers were given a certificate as a token of appreciation for their help.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"(MariaVenerable Bhikkhu Pra Khamvanh walks out holding a certificate after joining other monks to share their Walk for Peace experiences on Lunar New Year\u2019s Eve at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center on Feb. 16, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n

Around 11 p.m. the monks concluded their reflections and took a break before beginning their chants ahead of the new year. Attendees, clad mostly in red and yellow, went out into the temple grounds to enjoy the remainder of the festivities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Ali Lou, 38, has celebrated Lunar New Year at the Historic Stop Six temple for over 15 years. On Monday night, her husband carried their daughter on his shoulders so she could have a clear view of the dragon dancers that she adores.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI want her to learn about her Vietnamese culture,\u201d Lou said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Hoa Dao Lion Dance Association dancers perform with the dragon during the Lunar New Year celebration Feb. 17, 2026, at Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

Phung Pham, 35, came to the temple with her three children \u2014 ages 13, 12 and 9.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an annual tradition for the family to celebrate Lunar New Year together at the temple where her parents have been members for almost two decades, often not returning home until after midnight, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of times we can\u2019t get together like this. So it\u2019s one day here where we celebrate everybody and their achievements and what they\u2019ve gone through,\u201d Pham said. \u201cI just hope that after this, everybody continues to come when they can, just to find that peace and celebrate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"(MariaThe Hoa Dao Lion Dance Association dancers perform a dragon dance to celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center Feb. 17, 2026, in Fort Worth. Blacklights make the dragon glow as members of the Hoa Dao Lion Dance Association danced. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n

Cheerful shouts of \u201cHappy New Year\u201d and the rapid pops of firecrackers rang in the Year of the Fire Horse shortly after midnight.\u00a0<\/p>\n

People crowded together around the entrance as members of the temple\u2019s Hoa Dao Lion Dance Association presented a variety of performances on the ground, jumping on each other\u2019s backs or running across poles several feet in the air.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Under a blacklight, younger members of the team performed a dragon dance with a neon green, glow-in-the-dark dragon which was followed by older members of the group dancing with a bright orange dragon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The temple lights came back as several lion dancers gathered in the center to release red banners with messages of well wishes for the new year.<\/p>\n

Confetti floated in the night sky. Applause filled the air. The new year had begun.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Hoa Dao Lion Dance Association dancers open a banner which reads, \u201cMay all your wishes come true,\u201d in Vietnamese and Chinese during the Lunar New Year celebration Feb. 17, 2026, at Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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