MANY Taoists who observe the Jade Emperor’s birthday (Thee Kong Seh) are unaware of Thee Kua Seh (Fu Shen or God of Prosperity’s birthday).
Thee Kong Seh is celebrated on the ninth day of the Chinese New Year with prayers starting the night before.
Geomancy consultant Chang Kim Hua said Thee Kua Seh, which falls on the 15th day of the festival, is rarely, if at all, celebrated in the country.
“How we practise Taoism here is influenced by the very popular ‘Journey to the West’ folklore where Thee Kong is the highest-ranking god in heaven.
Giving Fu Shen his due: Chang giving his talk on Thee Kua Seh at Midlands Park, Pulau Tikus “In actual fact, San Ching rules over heaven in Taoism though he is not as popular as Thee Kong.
“It’s perfectly all right to pray on Thee Kong Seh but please also do the same on Thee Kua Seh because both deities are of equal rank in Taoism.
“Besides, one can never have too much of prayer,” he said.
He was giving a free talk on Thee Kua Seh at Midlands Park in Penang.
Chang also pointed out that many who prayed to the Jade Emperor on Thee Kong Seh do not realise that the name etched on the red plaques used during the ceremony was actually ‘Thee Kua’.
He said it was extremely rare to find a plaque etched with the name ‘Thee Kong’ in the country.
He said the purpose of the talk was to raise awareness of Thee Kua Seh or it could be lost to future generations.
“Our ancestors who arrived here from China observed Thee Kua Seh but these days not many do mainly because they are not aware of it.
“When you pray to the God of Prosperity, it is for both health and wealth although people always associate him with money,” he said.
He said that to pray to Thee Kua, it was best to use fruit and dried vegetables as offerings.
“You don’t need sugarcane stalks,” he said.
Regarded as the ‘real’ New Year by the Hokkiens, the ninth day marks the anniversary of the Jade Emperor saving them from death centuries ago.
According to folklore, a cruel general ordered his troops to attack the people in the Fujian Province as the Qing Dynasty was taking over in China.
The Hokkiens, who placed their faith in the Jade Emperor, sought refuge in a sugarcane plantation and emerged unharmed on the ninth day of Chinese New Year.
To give thanks to the diety, the Hokkiens started putting food-laden altars along with red candles and prayer paraphernalia outside their homes for the Jade Emperor’s birthday.
Chang, however, opined that while the story was popular and has been passed down from generation to generation, research showed that the incident never occurred.
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