The hung kwai pau (red tortoise buns in Cantonese) are synonymous with the 9 Emperor Gods Festival. Every time the festival comes around, there will be stores selling this special tortoise buns. The devotees would buy the buns and place them on the altar as offerings to the deities and will bring them home to eat afterwards.
Do you know the connection between the tortoise and the 9 Emperor Gods? Well, according to Chinese legend, the tortoise-shaped buns were made because a giant tortoise once saved the Nine Emperor Gods when their ship capsized during a storm. You see, the Nine Emperors were the Chinese version of Robin Hood. They lived during the Qing dynasty and had a knack of robbing the rich and giving to the poor. As the story goes, they were cornered at a seaside by soldiers, but a giant red turtle came to their rescue and ferried them to safety on Tow Boo Keong island. And that my friends is why tortoise buns are a mainstay during this particular festival.
Source: http://go2travelmalaysia.com/tour_malaysia/9_emperors.htm
1 comment:
Ooo..i missed having a bite of those buns...
For your info, if you eat the coloured skin, you might get the colour when you visit the toilet..hahaha
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