Thousands of people filled a street in Hanoi on Friday as they attended a ceremony to pray for luck, apparently unconcerned if traffic would be paralyzed for hours thanks to their worshipping.

The rite is held annually at Phuc Khanh Pagoda on Tay Son Street in Dong Da District on the occasion of the first full moon of the new lunar year, considered one of the most important days for people to worship and pray for good luck.

While the grand ceremony did not start until 7:00 pm, thousands of people had already swamped the place since 4:00 pm.

Due to the limited area of the pagoda, countless people had to line up outside, causing heavy congestion on a stretch of hundreds of meters on Tay Son Street.

A large number of officers from the traffic and mobile police forces were deployed to the scene to help ease the traffic but the gridlock continued well until 8:30 pm.

The congestion caused considerable inconvenience and annoyance to motorcyclists and drivers.

The Tay Son Street in front of Phuc Khanh Pagoda is fully occupied by worshippers.

Worshippers receive ‘lucky’ gifts from the pagoda after the ceremony.

Traffic is paralyzed on Tay Son Street as countless worshippers stand on the street.

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