Winter Solstice Festival In Brunei

 My ancestors would have tried their best to go home for the Winter Solstice Festival for a family reunion. But perhaps I am fated to be a River and Lake Woman making the Four Seas my home. I have to seek a living here and there...and for the festive season I was in Brunei....just to take pictures of the goodies for Hokkien ancestral worship at the Kianggeh Market was a kind of celebration for me.

But I have more to celebrate : two posts for today - as often in Sarawak we celebrate the two important festivals together - The Christian Christmas  (25th Dec) and the Chinese Winter Solstice Festival (22nd Dec).

Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital of an oil rich Sultanate and its population includes a small percentage of Chinese descent residents.

While many of the shops are Chinese owned almost all shops have signboards in Jawi and "romanised Malay". A small temple in the city centre indicates the beliefs of the Chinese and the wet market at Kianggeh also has a few stalls selling Chinese delicacies.

Winter Solstice Festival of the Chinese fell on 22nd Dec and housewives who are too busy to make their own Tang Yuen will buy some ready made dough in the market . Besides they can also buy some Fatt Kow for ancestor worshipping later in the evening.

I have not seen Fatt Kow made into Bao shapes....So I hope Rajang Basin would take a special interest in my posting today!!

This is Fatt Kow made ready for ancestral worship. They can be eaten also.

The pink and white rice dough for the tang yuen or Che (Foochow)

This is Fatt Kow in the shape of baos. I am sure the Hokkiens of Brunei can explain this unique practice.

This is in fact Open your mouth to laugh or Kai Kow Siao. A happy New Year cookie filled with goodness (egg and sesame in a good flour dough and deep fried)

Prawn fritters - a fusion of Chinese and South East Asian cuisine.

It was nice to see all these kuihs in the market. Nostalgia for hometown food and family and friends!!