GEORGE TOWN: Preparations to celebrate the Jade Emperor’s annual birthday began at the break of dawn with the Hokkien community thronging major wet markets in Penang to purchase offerings.

The birthday, or Thnee Kong Seh, is specially celebrated by Hokkiens, who offer prayers and food items to the protector of their ancestors in China.

By 11pm today, altars flanked by stalks of sugar cane and laden with food offerings and flowers will be set up outside homes and temples for the midnight celebration.

Sugar cane seller Ch’ng Chai Seah, 33, said the price for sugar cane stalks was higher this year due to reduced supply.

“Many plants were destroyed during recent floods,” he said, adding that it cost RM10 to RM12 for three stalks last year. “This year, it is about RM15.”

Ch’ng said he had expected better business this year.

“So I ordered 5,000 compared to 3,000 stalks last year,” he said at the Perak Road wet market yesterday.

Other offerings such as the ngor siew th’ng (pink pagoda-shaped candies), bit chien (skewered sweets), thnee kong kuih (peach-shaped cakes), mee koo, ang koo, huat kuih (pink-coloured steamed rice cakes), bee koe (sweet glutinous rice) and pineapple-shaped thnee kong kim (gold for the God of Heaven) in the form of folded gold-coloured papers were also snapped up fast.

Trader Ewe Suat Hoon, 78, who has been selling prayer items since she was 13 years old, said the crowd was expected to grow and that business hours had been extended until afternoon today.

“It used to be a celebration for the Hokkiens but now almost everybody takes part as they pray for a better year ahead,” she said.

By ANN TAN
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Sunday February 21, 2010

The Star Online