Talk the Talk 话话世界

2 February 2009, that's the 8th day of Chinese New Year which is also a busy day for Hokkiens since tonight we going to have going on a ceremony that famously known as "Bai Tian Gong 拜天宫" which is a ceremony that pray to god where the god's birthday is on Day 9th of CNY. For hokkien people, this day and the ceremony is even much more important than the one we did in the first day of CNY.

Let's start with the story of the starting of "Bai Tian Gong"... Years ago, our ancestors that's the Hokkiens' Ancestors had came to a combat when Hokkien got attacked... It was during CNY period. Our ancestors had been fight and hide in sugarcane garden. Soon, the attackers were defeated and retreat, the survived ancestors came out from the sugarcane garden and realize it's already the morning of th 9th day of CNY hence they think it's the god that guarded them through this war and hence they started the ceremony in front of the sugarcane garden to thank the god. Since that onwards, "Bai Tian Gong" been passed generation by generation even after some of the Hokkien had left China and came to South East Asia for work.

Nowadays, Hokkiens is not the only race that doing "Bai Tian Gong" as well as the other races such as Canto, Teowchew, Hakka etc that normally are bussinessmen that hope they can be blessed by the god for abundant gains in following year. There's a way to know whether it's the Hokkien or the non-Hokkien that doing "Bai Tian Gong"... That's the sugarcane... Only hokkiens will put a pair of sugarcane that's one each on each side of door since our ancestors were safe in sugarcane forest and at the same time sugarcane was pronounced as "Gam Jia" in hokkien which was similarly to the word "Gam Xia" that means appreciate and thank you. So for Hokkien, "Bai Tian Gong" is a ceremony that appreciate and thank god for the protection and the earnings that the god gave last year and hope the god will be keep blessing us for the coming years...

Last time, Hokkiens used to be "Bai Tian Gong" using only fruits and vegetables, but since nowadays people used to earn much than they did, pork, chicken or duck were added into the ceremony and hoping that the more we gave and so the more that we recive from god in following year. Ok... now come into "Bai Tian Gong" in details. There were actually few types of "Bai Tian Gong"... The first one will be definitely the classic one where the hokkien family that used to be very big came and gathered to "Bai Tian Kong" together... Second one, it's just doing it in our own house... Third one, is do it in a temple with other hundreds of people... I used to do it with my grandparents and relatives in grandfather's house when I was small but later mum decided to do it in our own house as to get blessing from god and so our house members will always be safe and healthy. So this year also I did in my house.

Come to the part of things needed in "Bai Tian Gong". First is definitely Gold and Silver paper... As what we know, Chinese believe these are the money used in "below" and "above" so we have to made it in the classic "yuan bao" shapes and patterns. The amount was depends on the size of family and also the ability to made it la but nowadays there are ready-maked... but since we know how to make it, just make it our ownselve as a symbol of sincerity to god. We used to start make it before CNY, we used to make it 500 excluded the other 12 stack of "lotus gold silver paper". Then, after 5th day of CNY where shops started to open. We have to shopped for fruits included orange, apple, plums etc... Normally hokkiens will find 7 fruits that have different colours such as apple=red/green, banana=yellow,orange, plum=black, grape=purple/green etc... Then a pair of sugar cane. Normally sugarcane came in one by one, so in order to have a nice pair, we will have to find two about the same height and same big. Most importantly, as straight as possible since it did symbolize the sincerity and the luck.

Other than fruits, we also have to prepare or buy cakes not the chess cake, it's just chinese style of baking cake, with words on it and also the famous "Ang Ku"... Different people will have different size and amount just depends the one that "Bai Tian Gong". Then we have to go on to buy incenses and candles specially for "Bai Tian Gong" and then either the "house" which was the heaven just like what we saw in "Journey to The West" or you choose to buy the "shirt and hat" for god. I will always ask my mum to buy both since god blessed us for years, we should do as much as we can for him since it's just once a year. Then just the day before, prepare fresh flowers and everything will be alright.

Come, let's have a look about "Bai Tian Gong" set up...

Fruits...
Banana "Geng Jiou" means collect prosperous
Rice cake "Mi Gao" means going up step by step in term of study or gainings
Red eggs means Good Things
Noodles aka Fat Choy Mian means Being Prosperous
Fat Choi also means Being rich...

Flowers
Pineapple or "Ong Lai" in Hokkien means luck comes
Cup cakes or "Fat Gou" in Canto means prosperous
Pamelo or "Lo You" in Canto also symbolize prosperous
Then the incenses and candles which have chinese words on it that mainly meaning "God give blessings, Family Safe and Healthy"

The huge incenses with dragons and pineapple on it

Huge incenses and also the "house"(Heaven) for God...

Left and right bamboo means appreciate and thank GOD for what it gave and the blessings as well...

The"hat" and "shirt" for GOD and also the "money" for GOD!!!

The 12 stacks of "LOTUS Gold"!!!

The last thing we did in "Bai Tian Gong" will be burning the things to sent it to GOD, thank HIM and also to get blessings and luck from GOD. And also the old generation believed that the fire signify the luck in coming years... Check this out!!!

Mum say it looks like a drogon's tail...

Fire grows bigger and bigger. Later I took a video about this since I never seen a fire as big as it did in previous "Bai Tian Gong"(s). So we must be pretty lucky in coming years. It was proved just a day after!!!Hehe...

After the ceremony I ate something and bathed before I slept at 2.00 where I woke up 5.30 the next day to go Surfine Hulu Langat @ 6.30 for Driving Test.

I was Hijau 42 which I will be doing Bahagian 2 that's the slope, parking and 3-point turn first. I will have to wait putih, kuning and the front hijau(S) do first. 50++ cars I think more than half were failed in the slope part. I did it with half tyre entered the yellow line, what the tester said was :" Sekarang, you sudah masuk tayar lebih 50%, kalau you mau terus pergi tapi kalau u undur belakang sikit pun I GAGAL you." I did the balancing easily since I was pretty good in it and passed the challenge!!! After that the parking and 3-point turn had never be a problem for me. So left on the road, waited quite long. Later than I was called and went to car number "3" where I met a unfriendly tester. I was doing well on the road. Just few complaints I got, 1st the tester been talking on phone on the way where she never tell me Laluan A or Laluan B that she want to test me... I have to ask her... Sigh!!! 2nd, she just like to step the brake even when I was stepping it, it's just about to cause me stop on the road suddenly luckily I stepped pedal!!! 3rd, she was about doing something stupid when it was green light, she saw no car and decide to help me step brake so that I will have to wait for the red light so that I can show her my balancing skill on slope... Holy, I wonder why did I give her "sweets" when I have to do more than I should... Gosh!!! 4th, by that time I get my result, my face was pretty pissed and my friend sthough I failed since they saw me came from other side...LOL... It's actually because the tester wanted to chiaozz and I'm her last candidate so I just stopby office. Oh, yeah... Why I am pissed? I got 17 out from 20. I got crossed for "tidak guna gear dengan sesuai" I changed gear for times la, from 1 to 4... All I used while my friends all used only gear 1 and 2. "Tidak menggunakan isyarat..." I just used signal light whenever I have to turn!!! "Tidak menggunakan brek tangan dan kaki dengan baik" this pissed me the most!!! I just stepped the brake when I needed to do it but this tester stepping it the most of the times so what can I do step harder? Gosh, my car will just stop on the road and get my ass banged by lorry... After that, uncle told me that they just simply tick since they can't give perfect marks. Anyway, I did pretty well and I'm satisfied. Get to know a few new friends but never tell any of them my name what they knew it's my dream is to be a superstar and they really believed it. LOL. See, I slept 3 hours but I'm doing perfectly in my test!!! Thanks to god for blessing me!!!