Jade Emperor God's Birthday [天公誕] falls on the 9th day of the Chinese New Year. Most Chinese Hokkiens of Taoism faith will offer prayers to the Jade Emperor [玉皇太帝] on the night of the 8th day [after 11 pm of Chinese New Year].
In the morning of this birthday, Chinese especially the Hokkiens of the Taoist faith set up an altar table with 3 layers one top [containing offertories of six vegetables [六齋], Mi Suah noodles, fruits [5 varieties], cakes, glutinous rice balls, vegetable bowls all decorated with red paper cuttings of auspicious designs] and two lower levels [containing the five sacrifices and wines] to honor the deities below the Jade Emperor.
The household then kneels three times and kowtow nine times to pay homage and wish him a long life. My late grandma used to do this without fail and would be very happy if her children and grandchildren followed after her. Thinking of it, it is rather fun.
My in-laws' family practices these rites quite similar to my parents but over time, the practices have changed and offerings are more simplified especially after my father in-law passed on.
I will follow the basic offertories like six vegetables [六齋] such as dried mushrooms, black fungus [bok nee], sweet bean curd sticks, peanuts, glass noodles, dried lily buds and 5 kinds of fruits [oranges, apples, sugar cane, pamelo,pineapple etc]. Some must have kuihs like Angku Kuih, Mi Koo, Bee Koh, Huat Kuih, Thni Kuih etc are also included. Usually, I would made some of these kuihs during the day itself. We have omitted the offertories like boiled chicken, duck and roasted pig but we still offered red [hard boiled] eggs as can be seen in the pictures.
Apart from the above, a must have item is the paper money which are folded into golden ingot type.
Part of the paper money are folded into triangles and stacked up alternately [see above picture] and each of these have to be opened up which looks like a pyramid shape before burning them. These days, families seldom do that but I still prepared this days in advance before Jade Emperor's Birthday.
