Legend has it that in days of yore, a foreign army invaded the Hokkien heartland. All the Hokkien soldiers fled into the fields and immediately a whole forest of sugar cane sprung up to hide the army and protect it from the enemy. This saved the Hokkien race and since then the Hokkiens have celebrated the ninth day of the Lunar New Year by placing stalks of sugar cane on either side of the front door. This is also the birthday of the Heavenly Jade Emperor.
On the 9th day of the New Year is the Hokkien Chinese (Fujianese) custom to "Bai Tian Gong «ô¤Ñ¤½ " or praying to the Heavenly God. On this day all businessmen regardless of their ethnic origin, also pray to Tian Gong) and wish that their businesses will be prosperous in the coming year.
The Hokkien Chinese offer the Tian Gong with sugar canes, roast pigs and fruit but no cooked ducks or chickens. Legend had it that that during the Song Dynasty 960AD to 1279AD), when the Mongolians conquered Fujian province, many Fujianese hid themselves in the sugarcane groves. For many days they stayed in the groves without food, but chewing sugar canes to sustain their lives. After the hordes of Mongols left they returned to their homes. They were very grateful to the sugar canes for saving their lives. The day they came out of the sugarcane groves was the 9th day of the New Year. From then on, in every year on that day, in order to commemorate their lucky escape, the Fujianese (Hokkiens) used sugar canes to pray to the Heavenly God.
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I read a comment in our famous HYS website about why the 7 Malay races of Brunei, such as Malay Brunei, Tutong, Belait, Kedayan, Murut, Bisaya and Dusun are not given the privilages of having their new year as a national holiday. AFterall, according to the comment, the Chinese are given their holiday during their new year, but how about the Dusun, who celebrate their new year on the 1st of May....
Its an interesting comment and worth thinking about. When i mentioned to my colleague about it, he dismissed the idea of the other distinct races and lump them together as Malays, hence they must only celebrate Islamic new year.... One must remember that not all Dusun, (whose heritage are roumoured to be a mixture of Malay and Chinese ancestory over centuries ago) are Muslims hence what is brought up is quite sensible...
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