It's here again and this year, the festival fell on 6th June (5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar).
As usual, the shops are full of "chang" or glutinous rice dumplings which are offered to the deities at this time of the year. Rice dumplings this year cost anything from RM2.50 each depending on the type and flavour you buy. Some innovative housewives have come up with their own versions like using oatmeal instead of glutinous rice and I'm told the dumplings are just as good!
Our altar with dumpling offering
I'm sure everyone is by now familiar with the legend behind this festival. It is also believed that the period between 11.00 a.m. and 12.00 p.m. on this day is very auspicious. It is known as "Goh See" in Hokkien. Water from the tap is saved during this time to wash the face, bathe, drink or cook. So at 12 sharp, we made a dash for the nearest tap and splashed our faces generously with Goh See water. According to my sis, Grandma had a special recipe using this water which she made for everyone to consume and tone up the body!
In the olden days, a sprig of willow is used to sprinkle "Siang Hong" all over the house to ward off evil. ("Siang Hong" is a red powder obtainable from Chinese medicinal shops. It is mixed with water for sprinkling). I don't think many households do this now.
It is also said that a raw egg is able to stand upright on its end during this time but my attempts failed - my egg stubbornly refused to stand up and in the end, I had to give up!
My naughty, stubborn egg
Anyway, we enjoyed our "pua kiam tee" dumplings (the half savoury and half sweet ones), and also the "kin chang" which is eaten with brown sugar syrup. Some people say glutinous rice should only be consumed sparingly as it causes indigestion and body aches and I've got some friends who will testify to that!!
So until next year, forget about "old wives" tales" and enjoy your dumplings!
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