The Jade Emperor’s Birthday 玉皇大帝诞

Singapore

新加坡

Today is the ninth day of the Chinese New Year, the birthday of the Jade Emperor.

今天是大年初九，玉皇大帝诞。

Hokkien people in Singapore usually worship the Jade Emperor on this day.

新加坡的福建人通常会在这天拜玉皇大帝。

During the Ming Dynasty, during one of the Chinese New Year, Japanese pirates were killing people and robbing people along the coast of Fujian.

在明朝时期，有一年农历新年，倭寇在福建沿海一带，杀人抢夺。

Seeing that the Japanese pirates were about to catch up, the villagers hid in the sugarcane plantation ahead, successfully avoiding the pirates and escaping the gate of hell.

眼见倭寇就要追上，乡民匆匆躲入前方蔗林，顺利避过倭寇，逃过鬼门关。

The villagers believed that the Jade Emperor had protected them from the disaster, so they began to worship the Jade Emperor in the early morning of the ninth day of the Chinese New Year every year to thank the Jade Emperor for saving their lives.

乡民认为是天公保佑他们逃过灾难，于是每年大年初九凌晨便开始祭拜天公，答谢救命之恩。

On the day the Fujian people worship the Jade Emperor, sugarcane is indispensable. 

福建人在拜天公当日，少不了甘蔗。

This means they never forget the kindness of the sugarcane plantation they hid, which saved their lives.

代表不忘蔗林藏身救命之恩。