=[L]ing 的无聊日记=

正月初九 天公生

"天公" is also "玉皇大帝"。
And 正月初九 天公生 celebrates the 诞生 of "天公" and is an important event for the Hokkiens.

I m not very sure how many people still celebrate this event but I have been helping out at my grandmother's house since last year..

What you will need to "拜天公"..
(**all the things below are what my grandmother normally have.. it may differs from other families**)




this is the 天公座.. it is sort of where "天公" resides.. In the middle, you can see "玉皇上帝", and that is where "天公" sits..



this is called 灯料

the usual stuff that you will need..

寿桃，寿面 and 发糕..


for these, i dunno what they are called collectively.. but individually, there are sweets, peanut candy, 香菇, 发菜, 冬粉, dao kee etc...


6 full cups of 酒..


金元宝.. got M size and XL size..


the XL size 金元宝..


one BIG bag of 金元宝.. i remembered last time we still gotta use the 金银纸 to fold into the 金元宝. but now, they are folded nicely in a packet. All u haf to do is juz to pull them out one by one..

and lastly,

sugar canes..
they are tied to the sides of the 天公座.. Sugar canes is a sign of gratitude to 天公..
As the legend goes, during the period of Chinese New Year, a Hokkien village was attacked by the army and the villagers were forced to run and hide. The reason for attack is due to the difference in language. The army heard the Hokkiens called themselves "狼" (actually is "人" in Hokkien).
During the attack, the villagers hid in a sugar cane forest for 8days and on the 9th day, the army finally realised the misunderstanding and left the village.
Thus, the villagers offered their thanks and prayers to 天公 to thank him for his protection. This event became an annual practice and has been passed down the generations till today.


the setup is completed..
we have to 敬香 and den 敬酒.


already 00.46am.. we have been making preparation since 11+..


for the first time, it is raining so heavily.. Actually I only 拜天公 since last year.. HA. but according to my mum, it is really the first time that it is raining so heavily on 正月初九.
so we waited and waited for the rain to stop and for instructions to burn the offerings..
so how do you know it is time? You think hard in your mind and if it is a 圣碑 den it's time.

when it is time to go downstairs to burn the offerings..

Put the 天公座 in the middle with the 金银纸 and 金元宝 surrounding it.. the spread of the 金银纸 and 金元宝 muz cover the 天公座 nicely so that all can burn evenly.


yeah!! the more 旺 is the fire, the better it is.. the louder the "crack" sound of the sugarcane, the better it is!!




后记: last time hor, the whole event will last from 12 midnight to the morning. that means, you will continuously burn incense from 12 to morning until you burn the offerings.. but now shld be no more le bah.. .. everything is kept simple. i think nowadays very few people do such things at home le..
the news said that temples now got make preparations for people to 拜天公 without hassle. but i dun like leh, i still prefer the traditional way..