Deity's birthday

Today is also the birthday of Tai Tay Yah, the patron deity of the Quah Kongsi here in Penang. It doesn't fall on the same 1 May every year, just so that today is the 15th day of the Chinese third lunar month.


Every year on the 15th day of the Chinese third lunar month, we roll out a celebration for Tai Tay Yah. You can see the goodies that we buy: roast chicken, fruits as well as dumplings. There's also a whole roast pig thrown into the prayer session on this special day and after it ends, we'll have a butcher come in to cleave up the pig. Oops! The head's already gone. I was a bit too late to snap it.

Advisory: The next two photographs are rather graphic. If looking at some exposed flesh may be too gruesome for you or you get offended or outraged easily, please do not read further.


The man's good. He's so deft with the blade. And below, you can see that he has already sliced the pig into two halves. Pretty soon, the meat will be in small pieces which we then distribute to the Kongsi's trustees and committee members.