2024 Thnee Kong Seh (Jade Emperor’s Birthday Festival)

The various scenes from Penang’s historic Weld Quay featuring the annual celebration honoring the revered Jade Emperor. As devotees and onlookers gathered, the air was filled with the scent of incense and the sounds of fireworks, creating an atmosphere steeped in cultural richness alongside traditional performances at the main stage.

The Jade Emperor’s Birthday Festival, also known as the Heavenly Emperor’s Birthday or Thnee Kong Seh in Hokkien, holds deep cultural and religious significance in Chinese tradition. Originating from Taoist beliefs, the festival celebrates the birthday of the Jade Emperor, one of the most revered figures in Chinese mythology, believed to be the ruler of heaven and earth. The festival’s history traces back centuries to ancient China, where communities would gather to pay homage to the Jade Emperor with elaborate ceremonies, offerings, and prayers for blessings and prosperity. Thnee Kong Seh, is celebrated by the Hokkiens on the ninth day of the Lunar New Year.

Prayers for the Jade Emperor

Jade Emperor Prayers

The Chinese Hokkien community would be celebrating the birthday of the Jade Emperor, or Thnee Kong Seh, today at 12am — the ninth day of the Chinese lunar calendar. As the clock strikes 12 midnight, the celebration would be kicking off with prayers often accompanied by the sound of firecrackers and offerings to the Jade Emperor. For the local Hokkiens here, this day is in fact celebrated even more extravagantly than the first day of Chinese New Year and is also known as the Hokkien New Year.