Significance of Pai Ti Kong festival
> Hokkien community celebrates it to mark Jade Emperor’s birthday
KLANG: Chinese New Year celebrations for the Hokkien community throughout the country would never be complete without its Pai Ti Kong festival celebrations.
Pai Ti Kong which in Hokkien means pray to Jade Emperor. It also signifies the Hokkien New Year which is usually celebrated on the ninth day of the Chinese New Year to mark the birthday of the Jade Emperor who is said to be the ruler of heaven.
On the day fireworks will reverberate at Hokkien-majority towns and cities such as Penang, Klang, Sitiawan, Malacca, Sarawak and Johor.
Klang Hokkien Association president Datuk Teh Kim Teh, 63, said in the royal town alone there are approximately 350,000 Chinese people from the Hokkien community who will celebrate the occasion between Feb 4 and 5.
“The celebrations will usually start from 11pm the preceding day as in the Chinese calendar, that is the beginning of a new day.
“Each Hokkien household will set up an offering table comprising Hokkien sweet and savoury cakes, joss sticks, flowers, meat dishes such as chicken and for those who can afford roasted piglet,” he said.
The folklore behind the Pai Ti Kong, he said, began during the time of the Ming Dynasty when the “wokou” (pirates) raided the seaside villages of the Hokkien community in the Fujian province in China during Chinese New Year.
“While some of the village men were fighting off the pirates, most including women and children hid in sugar cane farms. When the pirates were finally defeated, the villagers came out safe and unharmed during the ninth day of the Chinese New Year, hence the celebrations which is symbolic to the community’s survival,” he said.
As such, Teh who is also Federation of Hokkien Associations of Malaysia deputy president said that stalks of sugar cane will be placed along the house porch as part of the ritual celebrations.
“The two most important elements in the offering are sugar cane and pineapple. The cane stalk with multiple nodes symbolises continuous growth while pineapple is used during prayers and for decorations because the name (ong lai) sounds like the coming of prosperity,” he said.
Following the offering, each household kick-starts its celebrations depending on the auspicious time to welcome the Jade Emperor.
“The celebrations end when the fireworks are done,” he added.
Meanwhile, Klang Hokkien Association women’s wing chairperson Tan Soi Eng said Pai Ti Kong celebrations in Chinese temples and at the association-level here are usually done on a grand scale. “Chinese temples in Pandamaran, Meru as well as the 125-year-old Kuan Yin temple at Jalan Raya Barat will see devotees making offerings on the day.”