Hokkiens pay homage to Jade Emperor deity
SIBU: The ninth day of the Chinese New Year is celebrated as a day of thanksgiving as folk offer sugar cane and other food to pay homage to the Jade Emperor deity.
This is a tradition practised by the Hokkien since the end of the Ming Dynasty, to remember the day the deity saved them from sea bandits in their ancestral coastal village as they hid in a sugar cane plantation.
They emerged on the ninth day, realising the day of liberation from the bandits was the birthday of the Jade Emperor.
Thousands of devotees flocked to Tua Pek Kong Temple here on Saturday as the temple committee led worshippers to usher in the ninth day at midnight.
Two long altars were placed outside the temple; they were quickly filled up with food offerings brought by devotees for the Jade Emperor whom the Hokkiens affectionately call ‘ Ti Kong’ or the heavenly elder.
A temple committee member who did not want to be identified said: “This thanksgiving day has been remembered for generations and (the practice) brought overseas by the Hokkien. In Malaysia, this grand sugar cane festival has been celebrated as the second new year within the new year.”
Although the celebration was originally celebrated by the Hokkien, he noted people from other Chinese dialects also join in to make it a colourful Malaysian
This thanksgiving day has been remembered for generations and (the practice) brought overseas by the Hokkien. In Malaysia, this grand sugar cane festival has been celebrated as the second new year within the new year.
cultural festival.
The food offerings brought by the devotees on Saturday all signified luck, prosperity and longevity, including pineapples, longevity buns and noodles, mandarin oranges, ducks, chickens, pork, bee hoon, bean curd sticks, melon seeds and peanuts.
The temple committee member said he had brought longevity buns and noodles stacked in the shape of pyramids for the blessings of health and longevity.
He said it took him almost one morning to arrange the offerings into pointed shapes. He said the offered food items were brought back home after the worship, and devotees believed consuming them would bring them luck.
He said Tua Pek Kong Temple was decorated for the occasion with over 100 stalks of sugarcanes.
“We have no problem with the supply. We bought the stalks at the nearby Central Market. Apart from those supplied by the temple, worshippers also brought their own.”
At the stroke of midnight on Sunday, the temple committee faced heavenward with the devotees to offer incense for Ti Kong’s birthday – a day of thanksgiving with sugar canes – for the protection they received from the heavenly elder.
Temple committee member