Hokkien New Year eve (Bai Tian Gong) at Chris's place

Today, the 9th day of Chinese New Year is also the significant day to all Hokkien. It is the Hokkien New Year and yesterday the eve celebration known to the Hokkien as ‘Bai Tian Gong‘ (in Chinese, 拜天宫) was held in many places of Malaysia. Although I am not a Hokkien, I still share the joy and celebrate the festive and last night I was invited to Chris Baba’s place for the celebration.

Copy-and-paste the story behind the festive from the Bai Tian Gong‘s post published two years back:

During a Chinese New year of the Ming Dynasty, there was a bandit raid in the province of Hokkien. These intruders however robbed and burned down villages, attacked and killed the villagers. The people of the villages were in fear and escaped from their burnt villages during the night.

Some of the villagers then hid themselves among the sugarcane fields. Needless to say, those villagers prayed to Heaven God (Tian Gong) for salvation during their hideout. The pursuing intruders spent many days trying to locate and hunt them but to no avail. On the ninth day of that Chinese New Year, they finally gave up and returned to their region.

The Hokkiens then happily emerged from the sugar cane fields, and praising the blessings of the celestial deities and owing gratitude to the sugarcane plants for saving them from destruction. Thus, in all Hokkien celebrations, the sugarcane plant is given prominence.

Realizing that it was also the 9th Day of the Chinese New Year and coincidentally the birthday of Heaven God, they decided to make votive offerings and prayers to the Jade Emperor for their salvation. There are many version of the Hokkiens’ Bai Tian Gong stories. Whichever it is, the hokkiens believe that our life and prosperity are granted by the Heaven God.

On the eve of the 9th day, a pair of sugarcane plants are used by the Hokkiens usually placed one on each side of the offering table or the front door of the house. The pair of the sugarcane symbolises unity, cooperation and strength. The sugarcane itself is a symbol of harmony and a token which can bring good and ‘sweet’ results. The very straightness of the sugarcane stem also ensures that the Hokkiens can become a clan of honest and sincere people.

Chris is from the Baba-Nyonya family, and they always have their unique tradional sets of rites and rituals. Since many of the Baba-Nyonya are Hokkien and worship Ti Gong (天公), the Heaven God, the celebration of Bai Tian Gong to them is a great grant event and loaded with complex ceremonies. It would be difficult to see such a great preparation for celebration nowadays, due to modernization and exposure to western ideas, many of the younger Baba-Nyonya generation prefers to skip some the ceremonies.

Anyway, many of Chris’s relatives and friends gathered at his place for the great celebration. I met Henry my old friend over there. Then I was served with a bowl of delicious Hokkien noodle prepared by Chris’s mom and it was simply awesome! I managed to capture some photos of the little girl of Chris and the settings of Bai Tian Gong.

I didn’t wait for the countdown at Chris’s place but got back home at 11:30 p.m. On the 12:00 midnight, I stood at my house door and observed the Hokkiens ring in the New Year with extravagant firecrackers and fireworks.

Happy Chinese New Year to everyone especially our Hokkien friends. May the year of the dragon be prosperous and happy for everyone!

May all beings be happy.

delicious homemade Hokkien noodle by Chris's mom

old friend Henry

Chris's little baby, Abby

'Amma' and Abby

fly kiss

like dad like daughter

oil lamp (left); bamboo skewers of preserved papaya and cherries on top of the chanab as offering (right)

paper crafts, four of the Eight Immortals (Taoists' saints, in Chinese 八仙)

paper crafts, the other four of the Eight Immortals

complex table setting of offerings

skewers of offerings and each has a meaning

flowers offering

The post Hokkien New Year 2012 appeared first on juesatta (CJ Photography).

“传说明朝时一年的农历新年，倭寇在福建沿海一带，杀人放火，抢夺财物，乡民扶老携幼逃命。 乡民在黑夜中逃到一处偏僻郊野时，眼见倭寇就要追上，大家感到万分惊恐，突然前面出现一大片蔗林，乡民便逃入蔗林躲避，避过倭寇，逃过鬼门关。这天正是大年初九，逃出生天的乡民都认为这是天公救命，于是每年的大年初九凌晨便祭拜天公，以谢救命之恩。而拜甘蔗也具有不忘蔗林藏身救命之恩。”

“另一传说是，古时有一名孟将军，他到某个地方，只要喝了当地的水，就会讲当地的话，他就以这门本事辨别汉人。 可是他到了福建，手下竟然拿了外省的水给他喝，结果他一直不懂讲福建话。他便以为福建人不是汉人，就下令大开杀戒，福建人枉死无数。到了大年初九那天，从外省运来的水喝光了，孟将军才喝到福建的水，会讲起福建话，这时他才知道杀错人，马上下令封刀。而福建人认为这是天公所赐，让他们逃过大劫，便在初九凌晨拜天公谢恩。”

前两天是农历正月初八，也福建人的新年。我、Wee-Peng和Jason到访了Jason的两个伯母的家和Murphy的家去见识福建人的拜天公。同时我们也见识到了峇峇福建人为拜天公准备功夫的细腻。

Two days ago (Sunday midnight) was the 8th day of the first month of lunar calendar. On the 9th day, it would be the celebration known to the Hokkiens as ‘Bai Tian Gong’, which literally means ‘praying the Heaven God’.

During a Chinese New year of the Ming Dynasty, there was a bandit raid in the province of Hokkien. These intruders however robbed and burned down villages, attacked and killed the villagers. The people of the villages were in fear and escaped from their burnt villages during the night.

Some of the villagers then hid themselves among the sugarcane fields. Needless to say, those villagers prayed to Heaven God (Tian Gong)  for salvation during their hideout. The pursuing intruders spent many days trying to locate and hunt them but to no avail. On the ninth day of that Chinese New Year, they finally gave up and returned to their region.

The Hokkiens then happily emerged from the sugar cane fields, and praising the blessings of the celestial deities and owing gratitude to the sugarcane plants for saving them from destruction. Thus, in all Hokkien celebrations, the sugarcane plant is given prominence.

Realizing that it was also the 9th Day of the Chinese New Year and coincidentally the birthday of Heaven God, they decided to make votive offerings and prayers to the Jade Emperor for their salvation. There are many version of the Hokkiens’ Bai Tian Gong stories. Whichever it is, the hokkiens believe that our life and prosperity are granted by the Heaven God.

On the eve of the 9th day, a pair of sugarcane plants are used by the Hokkiens usually placed one on each side of the offering table or  the front door of the house. The pair of the sugarcane symbolises unity, cooperation and strength. The sugarcane itself is a symbol of harmony and a token which can bring good and ‘sweet’ results. The very straightness of the sugarcane stem also ensures that the Hokkiens can become a clan of honest and sincere people.

Three family houses I visited together with Jason and Wee-Peng, two of my best friends on the eve of Bai Tian Gong festival. The first two houses we visited were the family of Jason’s aunties, and the last house we went was my best friend, Murphy’s house. Jason comes from a Baba-and-Nyonya family so the prayers of Tian Gong for them is a grant event of the year. The celebration they held for the past few years I visisted were so unique and special. Each of the table setup and the offerings, the preparation were carefully done and also involved a lot of manpower. 

Share the photos I have taken:

First house:

Traditional Chinese family lanterns hanging on the house of the first Baba family I visited for Bai Tian Gong

The Bai Tian Gong table setup of the first Baba-and-Nyonya family

Chinese joss paper folded nicely in shape and hanging everywhere of the house

These folded Chinese joss papers would be burnt as an offering to Tian Gong

Second house:

One of Jason's aunties was praying and praising the blessing of Tian Gong

Four lucky digits arranged with mandirin oranges given by the performers of the lion dance we missed out

Another four digits given, Chinese believes "8" is a lucky number and symbolises prosperity

Each of the offerings was equisite and nicely prepared

Candles were lightened

Friends and relatives gathered for this cheerful moment

Another set of Chinese family lanterns hanging on the second house we visited

Each of the dishes or offerings made symbolises something good and lucky

The beautiful offering on the hexagonal wooden box in the center is called Chanab and is usually made from papaya and preserved cherries.

The wide view of the table

Third house (Murphy’s family):

Another prayer of Bai Tian Gong at the house of Murphy

The not-so-complicated setup yet still seemed complicated

Thanks to Jason for bringing me to his aunties’ houses for the Bai Tian Gong celebration and also thanks to Murphy for inviting us to his place. There are many procedures to follow for the Bai Tian Gong prayers. We have to be grateful this tradition is inherited to today’s generation. It’s a very meaningful celebration as showing gratitude of the Tian Gong’s blessing is virtue and it teaches the young generation not to forget the kindness of the elders and others who have helped them.

The post 拜天宫 – 福建人的新年 (Bai Tian Gong celebration – the Hokkiens’ New Year) appeared first on juesatta (CJ Photography).