On the 9th day of the Chinese New Year is the Hokkien custom to "Bai Tian Gong" or praying to the Heavenly God.
The Hokkien Chinese offer the Tian Gong with sugar canes, roast pigs and fruit but no cooked ducks or chickens.
Legend had it that when the Hokkiens, who lived along the coast, were attacked by pirates. They ran and hid in the sugarcane plantation. For many days they stayed in the plantation without food, but chewed the sugar canes to sustain their lives. When the pirates left, they came out of the sugarcane plantation and that day was the 9th day of the New Year.
From then on, every year on that day, the Hokkiens offer sugar canes to pray to the Heavenly God.
A good photo and a very nice info given here. Loved reading the story about offering sugar cane.
ReplyDeleteSugar canes! I love sugar canes. I used to suck the juice off the sugar canes when I was little.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting Norwich Daily Photo recently. I've had some problems today uploading my post, but it's now sorted. Please do visit. I've got a really pretty picture. Enjoy the weekend!
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We had "Bai Tian Gong" here too...but my family is not Hokkien so we never have this. It must be fun. Many houses who pray to Heavenly God would burn firecrackers when the clock struck 12am. It's so merry!
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