あげましておめでとうございます！新年快乐！Happy New Year!
Its yet another year, the year of the Ox. Today is the 10th day of the Lunar New Year and I had been thinking that it would be interesting to document the tradition that my family goes through on the 8th of every Lunar New Year (for praying at midnight of the 9th).
农历正月初九：拜天公 (9th day of the Lunar New Year: Praying to the Heaven God)
Full detailed explanation (in mandarin) on the whole custom can be found here.
On the 8th day of every Lunar New Year, my mother would be extremely busy with the preparations of all the necessary offerings. Preparing the boiled eggs, cooking the fish, making sure she gets the sugar cane, folding of the incense paper... etc... etc...
The emergency squad (aka me & le sisters 😄) is usually self-activated on the night of the 8th day to finish with the folding of the incense paper, and the making of the incense paper lotus. (I'm usually just in charge of folding though)
Past midnight (when its officially the 9th day of the LNY), my daddy would throw two coins to see if we were allowed to end the whole prayer and proceed with the burning of these offerings.
That's pretty much the custom that we follow every year. 😊
