MEI NGAR

The lunar date for today is the 16th day of the 12th lunar month. It is known as Mei Nga (尾牙).  For the Chinese businessmen who are of the Taoist faith, they would make offerings to the house gods twice each month to pray for good business.  Each of these offerings is referred to as Nga (牙).   The first “Nga” at the beginning of the Lunar New Year is called “Tou Nga” (頭牙), and the last “Nga” made at the end of the lunar year is called “Mei Nga” (尾牙).When my Aunt May was alive, she'd start to place arrowroot bulbs in a container of water and fill it with pebbles on this day. She told me that it was common practice for traditionalist Chinese to do so on this day as the Arrowroot or Nga Ku Plant would grow to just the right height to greet the new year. I bought the arrowroot from TESCO and placed them in what used to be the ceramic container for a water feature. I placed pebbles to stabilise the plant and filled the container with water. Now, I will wait for them to grow.
It used to be the practice of Chinese employers to treat their workers to a meal (either lunch or dinner) at a restaurant. This is to show appreciation and to reward the employees for their hard work for the past year. However, I am not too sure whether this is still in practice.  What I know is that there will be a year end dinner for the employees but the day might not necessary be on the 16th day of the 12th lunar month.

In Cantonese, it is called Mei Nga. In Mandarin it is Wei Ya. On this day, offerings are also made to Tow Tei K'ung (the Earth God), Tei Chu K'ung (the God of Groundwork).
To find out more about the Mei Nga Festival, please click this LINK.