As I write this post, I can hear the sound of firecrackers and fireworks outside my house. This cacophony of sound started the moment the clock struck twelve signalling the start of the ninth day of the Lunar New Year which is the birthday of the Jade Emperor, also known as Tian Gong or Ti Gong Pek.
As the paternal side of my family is Cantonese and not Hokkien, my mum and I don't have an elaborate celebration on the 9th day. I would just take three joss-sticks, say some prayers and place the joss-stick in a container.
To the Hokkiens, this day is very important. At midnight of the eighth day of the new year, the Hokkiens will offer thanks giving prayers to the Jade Emperor or Yu Wang. Offerings will include sugarcane as it was the sugarcane that had protected the Hokkiens from certain extermination generations ago. Then there are a variety of cakes, fruits and drinks that are placed on a table that has been decorated with red cloth.
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