MY MUM'S BIRTHDAY

Goddess of Mercy Temple in Ipoh
Lit Oil Lamps on Pedestal
My mum and aunt

Me and the birthday girl
Lanterns in the Kuan Yin temple My mum offering joss-sticks to the deities
Celebrating their birthdays today: Mrs Cheah and Mr Tang
Giving alms to the beggars

Today is my mum's birthday. Every year she will celebrate her birthday according to the Chinese lunar calendar and not the Gregorian one. The date of birth on her birth certificate is September 8 but her lunar birthday falls on the 14th day of the 7th lunar month.

My mum, aunt and I went to the temple to offer prayers to the deities in the morning. We went to the Goddess of Mercy Temple in Old Town Ipoh which at present is under renovation. After performing her prayers, my mum also lit an oil lamp and placed it on a special pedestal in the temple. The lighting of the oil lamp is to symbolically brighten and smoothen her path for the year ahead. If I am not mistaken, she paid RM10.00 for the lamp. Her Chinese name and birthdate were written on a piece of paper and adhered to the lamp.

Before we left the temple, my mum gave alms to the resident beggars of the temple, who lined up to receive the money from her.

Coincidentally, at the temple my mum met Mr Tang who was also celebrating his Chinese lunar birthday today. He was at the temple today to volunteer his services. See both the birthday boy and girl happily posed for the photograph above.