Usually every one-week before the first day of Lunar Year, all
members of the family should clean up their house.
Every whitish Fu [Hu - written charm] should be removed and has to
be replaced to the new one and burn the old one.
Praying table should be cleaned, gods and goddess' sculptures is
being washed and drained with clean and fragrant flower essence and
all of
them must be re-decorated neatly to welcome the Lunar Year.
What you need for preparation:
A day or two before the big day's coming, which is the first day of
the first month in Lunar Year. There will be five kinds of fruits
and five of them
each such as apples, oranges, grapes, mandarin oranges and each of
them in two sets. One for Tian Gong and the other is for inside the
house.
Avoid choosing fruits with thorn such as pineapples and
salak.
Prepared the Tian Gong Praying Table.
Big Xiang [Hio], minimum 1 piece. Small Xiang for each of family
members, each of them gets 12 pieces on every praying table.
2 pieces appropriate red candles on every table (not too big or
tall) to lighten up.
Fresh flower as fragrance (if affordable).
Xiang Lu (to place the Xiang) for Tian Gong table. If there isn't
any permanent place, can be made by used-milk-can, wrapped with red
paper and
filled with grains.
Small cups (Jiu Jing), a tea set of 5 pieces for each praying
table. Don't forget the tea.
Small plate of candies to sweetened the table's display.
Fragrance or perfume should be sprayed to every hand of family
member.
Red tablecloth for the praying table
For your own safety, you better cover the tablecloth with glasses
before placing the fruits, candles, Xiang Lu and others.
Arranging / Preparing Praying Ceremony
Tian Gong table should be placed forwarding to the east with open
ceiling.
Put on red tablecloth and place the glasses on it. Arrange Xiang
Lu, tea cups in half circle, candles on left and right sides, and
fruits.
In half circle formation, flowers at the left and right backside of
the table. Candies at the right front of the table.
As well as the formation for in house praying table.
Praying Moments:
The best time to pray on the first day first month that is at 00.30
to 06.00 AM
Put on good clothes. Arrange your wishes for this New Year so
nothing is left behind.
The head of the family will lead the pray with big incenses one in
front of the row, followed by 12 small Xiang. On knee as we usually
do,
declare the wishes.
Afterwards followed by the other members, from the highest level
downward.
The head of the family continues the same praying inside the house,
with the same patterned mentioned above.
After the prayers wait about 30 minutes. If it's ok with your
neighborhood, leave all the Incenses outside and let them burn out
until
morning but clean up the Tian Gong table.
Well, that's all for Yin SHen Jie Fu Praying Moments for this
time.
In the next morning, followed by each member's tradition such as
visiting parents, and other honored persons.
Notes:
The contents of our Tao are Steadiness and Sincerity.
No need to live like a king, adaptation to nowadays-economic
condition is what we need.
If you "have it all " is fine but if you got nothing it's not an
obstacle to Tao; for praying Yin Shen Jie Fu; for Bing An Yen. The
fruits and
arrangements that we dedicate to the gods are only for our own
enjoyment and satisfaction, we make them in such a way that they
will look good
to us, according to our own tastes. But the gods themselves care
nothing about it.
So, sincerity and steadiness plus Wu is leading to Cen - straight
(Siu Cen). That's the main idea of our Tao.
No need to take anything for granted, right?
Footage: "if you cooked without flavor, it'll become tasteless,
event though it can be eaten." Right?
Back to our Yim Yang (Thay Cik)
Balance and Harmony is our life that we should live on.