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Chinese New Year
Festival is an opportunity for Chinese
people all over the world to celebrate
together as a family. One of the
highlights of this festival is the
worship table that is usually held on
New Year's Eve. This year falls on
February 9th.
The Chinese New Year tradition in
Thailand consists of paying respects to
sacred objects in the early morning. Pay
respect to your ancestors in the
morning. Pay homage in the afternoon and
pay homage to the god Cai Xing'ia
late at night. Each round uses different
offerings.
• Pig means
abundance, there is no shortage of food
to eat.
• Duck means
purity and cleanliness.
• The rooster
represents diligence,
auspiciousness
• Fish is a
symbol of wealth and abundance.
• Liver in
Chinese is synonymous with the word
noble.
• Therefore it means power and fortune.
Aside from meat,
worshiping the gods includes sweets and
fruits. Similar to meat, the quantity is
not clearly specified. But they
frequently use fruits with auspicious
names, such as bananas, oranges, apples,
pears, grapes, and pineapples. Desserts
popular during the New Year's
festival include Khanom Khong, Khanom
Thian, Khanom Thua Fu, Khanom Thua fuu,
and Chan Ab.
• Bananas look
like fingers. It beckons good fortune to
come in.
• Orange
represents good luck.
• Apple for
peace.
• Pear for money
flows in like the color of a
wheelbarrow.
• Grapes mean
growth
• Pineapple is
synonymous with the word good
fortune.
• Khanom Kheng
means wealth.
• Khanom Thian
mean prosperity.
• Khanom Thua Fu
means fame.
• Janab is
happily ever after.
Late morning ancestor worship includes sweet and savory foods, fruits, silver and gold paper, and Kong Tek sets. The offerings in this section are typically chosen to please the ancestors while also having an auspicious meaning.
worship It is the act of
distributing alms to a ghost with no
relatives. Always use food from the
morning. Finish by lighting firecrackers
to ward off bad luck.
Paying homage to Cai
Xing'ia at night is a way to pray
for good fortune. Using Khanom Ee, 5
auspicious fruits, vegetarian cuisine,
steamed rice, and
tea.
Written, translated, and illustrated by: Ratchanok T.