Every Chinese New Year celebration starts with various prayers at the last day of the 12th lunar month. There was no exception for this year as well.
Early of the day, mum was busy preparing a lot of home-cooked cuisines in the kitchen.I was forced to wake up due to my mum nagging. I woke up listening to the noise from the kitchen. "I should really come out of bed and help my mum", I thought. So, my chores in the kitchen was like any apprentice in the kitchen. I could only be assigned to cleaning and cutting vegetables task while the main chief was giving out instructions to me.
Mummy trimmed down on the dishes from the past years. As for the past years, the food was so abundant that we had to reheat the food for 3~4 days during CNY in order to finish it. Due to the trimming of this year, we were saved from eating the same dishes for continuous days. Around 11am, we started our ancestor prayers by "inviting" them to our house. "Anyohasayo, Ah Gong, Ah Ma and KorKor!"
Mushroom!
Mum was excited about the new electronic candles.
Early of the day, mum was busy preparing a lot of home-cooked cuisines in the kitchen.
Mummy trimmed down on the dishes from the past years. As for the past years, the food was so abundant that we had to reheat the food for 3~4 days during CNY in order to finish it. Due to the trimming of this year, we were saved from eating the same dishes for continuous days. Around 11am, we started our ancestor prayers by "inviting" them to our house. "Anyohasayo, Ah Gong, Ah Ma and KorKor!"
See how high is the rice?
Hehe, don't you impress by my rice scooping skill.
Hehe, don't you impress by my rice scooping skill.
Mushroom!
At night, by 11am, we started our ceremony "inviting" God of fortune to come to our house to "LimTeh". My brother conveyed the address in Malay, but he was doubtful that God of fortune knowing the way to our house. Then, I told him, "Don't worry. Nowadays, the technology has advanced. He can use google map as well as GPS..." Suddenly, "Tonng!" My mum interrupted our conversation by saying, "Gian Nah cannot luan luan gong wa one." (Kids should not make any disrespectful statement.)
Mum was excited about the new electronic candles.
On the first day of CNY, Auntie Sim offered to take my sister and I to go to Guang Yin temple in town/World Heritage Site to pray. Since we had never been there before during the first day of CNY, we thought it might be fun. When we reached there, the human traffic was hectic. Inside the temple, the incense smoke was intense. The smoke was capable to make the tears welling up every time when I tried to put the joss sticks in the incense bowl. May be this is how the God and Godess feeling my sincerity. "Tonng..." "How many time I have to ask you not to luan luan gong wa?!"
Guang Yin Temple
Those that slip the joss papers at the window believe they will have good blessings from the God.