春节习俗：大年初九 拜天公寿诞

Today is the 9th day of 1st month in Lunar Calendar.

今天是农历正月初九。

It is believed to be the birthday of the Jade Emperor (玉皇大帝，yu huang da di, or 天公，tian gong) who is the Supreme Deity of Taoism.

这天被认为是道家的最高神灵玉皇大帝的生辰。

It is one of the most important celebrations in Chinese culture, the Jade Emperor’s birthday is touted as grander than the first day of the Chinese New Year as it is like a thanksgiving celebration.

这是中国文化中最重要的庆祝活动之一，玉皇大帝的生辰据说是新年的后面第一天就像感恩节庆祝一样。

Moreover, it also marks the New Year for the Hokkien community. There will be grand ceremonies in Taoist temples on this day.

此外，这也标志着福建地区的新年，这一天要到道教寺庙拜天公。

Ordinary families also have their own way to celebrate the birthday of the Jade Emperor.

平常的家庭也有自己庆祝玉皇大帝生辰的方式。

Beginning from the midnight of the 8th day of the Chinese New Year to 4 o’clock before the dawn of the ninth day, people will keep setting off firecrackers. On this day, people usually offer sacrifices to the Jade Emperor.

从新年初八的午夜到初九的凌晨4点，人们会放鞭炮。人们通常在这天祭祀玉皇大帝。

Sugar cane (甘蔗,gan zhe) in the Hokkien dialect sounds (kam chia) like thank you (kam siah) and it is auspicious.

在福建方言中，甘蔗听起来想“感谢”，这寓意着吉祥。

Thus, a pair of sugar cane is a must. Before the sacrifice, the whole family will take a shower first, to show their respect to the Jade Emperor.

因此，一对甘蔗是必须的。在祭祀前，全家人都会先洗澡来表示对玉皇大帝的尊敬。