CNY Day 9, the Jade Emperor’s Birthday (Photo Series)

The 9th Day of the Lunar New Year (27 Feb) is considered the birth day of the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor is one of the first gods of Chinese culture. The birthday of the Jade Emperor is a particularly important day for the Hokkien speaking Chinese. For some, this is even more important than the first day off the new year.

In Singapore, the Giok Hong Tien (Jade Emperor) Temple at Havelock Road is a particular pilgrimage site.

The entrance to the Jade Emperor Temple in Havelock Road turns into a hive of activity at around 11pm the night before. Chinese believe that a new day begins at 11.30pm the night before.

Along the way to the temple, table top stores are set up to sell incense and joss sticks. There are both large and small joss sticks. Incense is an key part of the Chinese prayer process due to the belief that the gods and ancestors consume the incense.

Next to the table, is a small used milo tin with a small fire built for devotees to light up their incenses.

Another store sells other items such as prayer buns and fruits that are offered to the Jade emperor. The food is mostly vegetarian as it is believed that the Jade Emperor is vegetarian. Meats were added to the offerings, for the gods assisting the Jade Emperor.

The crowd slowly begins to build from 11 to 11.30pm. Some people who reached early, wait at the sides for the right time to offer their prayers. Despite the crowd, the mood both in and out of the temple was calm and convivial.

It is customary to begin prayers by offering joss sticks outside the temple, in the direction of the skies where the gods reside. After placing three joss sticks in the large holder, devotees then offer one to each of the door gods on each side of the entrance to the temple.

Devotees subsequently enter the main altar hall where statues of various gods are placed. The main god for which the temple is named (the Jade Emperor) holds pride of place in the temple and is placed in the central hall.

As with most Chinese Taoist temples, the back annex of the hall includes an altar space of the Buddha (Siddharta Gautama) who is believed in some traditions to be more powerful than all of the deities. Image here shows the crowd in the temple, praying for a good year ahead after leaving the back annex.

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