Prayers to the Jade Emperor

I woke up this morning at 10.30, quite beyond my usual waking up time. The night before had been a very busy one getting ready for prayers to the Jade Emperor (God of Heaven) which usually takes place on the 8th night of the 1st Chinese lunar moon....we didn't get to bed until nearly 1.00 a.m.!

Although there are not many offerings, a lot of work is still involved and that means dashing to the market to get the fruits (pineapple, pomelo and Mandarin oranges) and "kueh" ("ang koo", "huat kueh","ti kueh" and "bi koe"). Of course the price for these offerings had all gone up but one had no choice but to buy them. A medium sized "ti kueh" cost as much as RM7.00 each! After all the offerings had been decorated with red paper, we placed them on a small table outside the front door. By 11.00 p.m. we were ready for prayer. Mum got out three big joss sticks, prayed and burnt the "Ti Kong Kim" (gold for the God of Heaven in the form of gold stamped paper).

To add a bit of spice and excitement, we threw two small packs of fireworks into the fire and watched as they exploded with fiery red sparks. By this time, we had run inside the house and watched the whole scene from behind the front door! Mum loves to play with fireworks mainly because it is auspicious to set them off when praying to the Jade Emperor!

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera again and the whole evening's episode escaped unrecorded. I shall have to be less forgetful next time!

For my friends overseas, here's the legend of the Jade Emperor (Wiki's version).

One of the myths describes how the Jade Emperor became the monarch of all the deities in heaven. It is one of the few myths in which the Jade Emperor really shows his might.
In the beginning of time, the earth was a very difficult place to live; a much harsher place to live in than it is now. People were having tremendous difficulty coping with existence; not only did they have to deal with harsh conditions, but also with all kinds of monstrous beings.

At this time, there were also not many gods or deities to protect them. Furthermore, a lot of powerful, evil demons were defying the immortals of heaven. The Jade Emperor was still at the time an ordinary immortal who roamed earth to help as many people as he could. He was, however, saddened by the fact that his powers were limited and could only ease the sufferings of humans. He decided to retreat in a mountain cave and cultivate his Tao. He passed 3,200 trials, each trial lasting about 3 million years.

Unfortunately, a powerful, evil entity—a demon of sorts, which dwelt on earth—had the ambition to conquer the immortals and gods in heaven and proclaim sovereignty over the entire universe. This evil entity also went into retreat and meditation to expand its power, though later than the Jade Emperor. He passed through 3,000 trials each trial lasting for about 3 million years too. After it passed its final trial, it felt confident that no one could defeat it anymore. It re-entered the world again, and recruited an army of demons with the purpose of attacking heaven.
The immortals, being aware of the threat, gathered themselves and prepared for war. The gods were unable to stop the powerful demon and it defeated them all.

Fortunately, the Jade Emperor finished his cultivation in the midst of this war. He was changing the land to make it more liveable for men and repelling all kinds of monstrous beasts. Suddenly, he saw an evil glow emitting from heaven and knew something was amiss. He ascended and saw that a war was going on, he saw that the demon was too powerful to be stopped by any of the gods present. He went up and challenged the demon, and a battle ensued between them. Mountains shook and rivers and seas toppled; however, the Jade Emperor stood victorious due to his deeper and wiser cultivation, not for might but for benevolence. After defeating the demon, all the other demons were scattered by the gods and immortals.

Because of his noble and benevolent deeds, the gods, immortals and humans proclaimed the Jade Emperor the supreme sovereign of all.

So all's well that ends well.