Hong Kong temple ritual predicts lunar new year's fortune

Crowds gathered for a traditional Lunar New Year temple ceremony and fortune-telling ritual in Hong Kong on Sunday.

Officials and nuns lit incense sticks inside Che Kung Temple, before taking part in the annual ritual.

Local community leader Kenneth Lau was among those who shook a cup of sticks and withdrew one, which contained a prediction for Hong Kong in the new year.

The piece of paper inside had 28 Chinese characters, setting out a "neutral prognosis," indicating there would be no bad fortune.

Yet, last year's forecast at the same ceremony was also considered to be neutral.

Since then, Hong Kong has endured months of violent anti-government protests and an outbreak of China's new virus.

After finding out his prediction for the New Year, Lau said he hoped "people in Hong Kong could be united" in 2020.

The newly started Year of the Rat marks the beginning of a new 12-year cycle in the Chinese Zodiac.