Coffee or Tea? Both? No problem!

[Cecil Lee]

Dear GOD,

What do you like to have: Coffee or English Tea? Both? Or even several cups ofChinese tea.

For you, no problem! We will make it for you!

This is perhaps repeated every morning in many Kopitams (Non-airconditioned coffee shops) each day.

In many coffee shops; an offering of 5 oranges are also offered with the coffee or tea!

Why 5 oranges? This has to do with the Cantonese custom of "praying" to the 5 spirits: of the North, South, East, West and Centre spirit or "5-Ghosts".

[myfs_132584]

Hi Master Lee,
I have also heard that the number 5 mean 5 elements which represent harmony or big luck ().
But one thing I can't understand .. why "without milk" both in coffee and tea?

Best regards,

[myfs_146523]

Quote

On 2/10/2010 11:02:30 AM, Anonymous wrote:
Dear GOD,
What do you like to have:
Coffee or English Tea? Both?
Or even several cups
ofChinese tea.
For you, no problem! We will
make it for you!
This is perhaps repeated every
morning in many Kopitams
(Non-airconditioned coffee
shops) each day.In many coffee
shops; an offering of 5
oranges are also offered with
the coffee or tea!
Why 5 oranges? This has to do
with the Cantonese custom of
"praying" to the 5 spirits: of
the North, South, East, West
and Centre spirit or
"5-Ghosts".

Thanks you for your explaination! There are many Chinese culture I want to study more. Chinese culture is very interesting and diversified.

[Cecil Lee]

This is a traditional belief of the Cantonese (Chinese dialect group) of praying to all the FIVE GODS (spirits) in a home or premises.
Here, the five gods are: NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST and the CENTER God(s).
Location a coffee shop at Jalan Bukit Merah. Here, there are 5 tea cups below it are also 5 "sweet" cakes.

Quote

On 9/27/2010 9:52:17 AM, Anonymous wrote:
On 2/10/2010 11:02:30 AM, Cecil Lee
wrote:
Dear GOD,
What do you like to have:
Coffee or English Tea? Both?
Or even several cups
ofChinese tea.
For you, no problem! We will
make it for you!
This is perhaps repeated every
morning in many Kopitams
(Non-airconditioned coffee
shops) each day.In many coffee
shops; an offering of 5
oranges are also offered with
the coffee or tea!
Why 5 oranges? This has to do
with the Cantonese custom of
"praying" to the 5 spirits: of
the North, South, East, West
and Centre spirit or
"5-Ghosts".

Thanks you for your explaination!
There are many Chinese culture I want to
study more. Chinese culture is very
interesting and diversified.

[Cecil Lee]

Another coffee shop. This time round, did you notice the 5 large sized glass cups of coffee at the base of the altar?

Quote

On 5/23/2013 9:34:32 AM, Anonymous wrote:
This is a traditional belief of the
Cantonese (Chinese dialect group) of
praying to all the FIVE GODS (spirits)
in a home or premises.Here, the five
gods are: NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST and
the CENTER God(s).Location a coffee shop
at Jalan Bukit Merah. Here, there are 5
tea cups below it are also 5 "sweet"
cakes.On 9/27/2010 9:52:17 AM, Honey
White wrote:
On 2/10/2010 11:02:30
AM, Cecil Lee
wrote:
Dear
GOD,
What do you like to have:
Coffee or English Tea? Both?
Or even several cups
ofChinese tea.
For
you, no problem! We will
make it
for you!
This is perhaps
repeated every
morning in many
Kopitams
(Non-airconditioned
coffee
shops) each day.In many
coffee
shops; an offering of 5
oranges are also offered with
the coffee or tea!
Why 5
oranges? This has to do
with the
Cantonese custom of
"praying" to
the 5 spirits: of
the North,
South, East, West
and Centre
spirit or
"5-Ghosts".

Thanks you for
your explaination!
There are many
Chinese culture I want to
study
more. Chinese culture is very
interesting and diversified.

[Cecil Lee]

Yes, we are the five spirits: North, South, East, West & Central

Quote

On 5/27/2013 6:47:40 PM, Anonymous wrote:
Another coffee shop. This time round,
did you notice the 5 large sized glass
cups of coffee at the base of the
altar?On 5/23/2013 9:34:32 AM, Cecil Lee
wrote:
This is a traditional belief
of the
Cantonese (Chinese dialect
group) of
praying to all the FIVE
GODS (spirits)
in a home or
premises.Here, the five
gods are:
NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST and
the
CENTER God(s).Location a coffee shop
at Jalan Bukit Merah. Here, there
are 5
tea cups below it are also 5
"sweet"
cakes.On 9/27/2010 9:52:17
AM, Honey
White wrote:
On
2/10/2010 11:02:30
AM, Cecil Lee
wrote:
Dear
GOD,
What do you like to have:

Coffee or English Tea? Both?

Or even several cups

ofChinese tea.
For
you, no problem! We will
make it
for you!
This is perhaps
repeated
every
morning in many
Kopitams
(Non-airconditioned
coffee
shops) each day.In
many
coffee
shops; an
offering of 5
oranges are
also offered with
the coffee
or tea!
Why 5
oranges? This
has to do
with the
Cantonese
custom of
"praying" to
the 5
spirits: of
the North,
South, East, West
and Centre
spirit or
"5-Ghosts".


Thanks you
for
your explaination!
There are
many
Chinese culture I want to
study
more. Chinese culture is
very
interesting and
diversified.

[Cecil Lee]

Some Chinese belief that spirits can reside (or built) a home inside a reasonable large tree trunk.
Five oranges were offered I suppose to the Five Spirits. A common theme in many "praying rituals" is to respect the Five spirits: North, South, East, West and Central.
What is unique here is the entire tree trunk is wrapped in the "worship" YELLOW coloured cloth. Kind of remind me of the winter "clothing" that some trees in cold countries are wrapped in... during my wintervisits to countries such as Korea...

Quote

On 6/7/2013 6:51:12 AM, Anonymous wrote:
Yes, we are the five spirits: North,
South, East, West & CentralOn
5/27/2013 6:47:40 PM, Cecil Lee wrote:
Another coffee shop. This time
round,
did you notice the 5 large
sized glass
cups of coffee at the
base of the
altar?On 5/23/2013
9:34:32 AM, Cecil Lee
wrote:
This is a traditional belief
of
the
Cantonese (Chinese dialect
group) of
praying to all the
FIVE
GODS (spirits)
in a home or
premises.Here, the five
gods
are:
NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST and
the
CENTER God(s).Location a
coffee shop
at Jalan Bukit
Merah. Here, there
are 5
tea
cups below it are also 5
"sweet"
cakes.On 9/27/2010 9:52:17
AM,
Honey
White wrote:
On
2/10/2010 11:02:30
AM, Cecil Lee
wrote:
Dear
GOD,

What do you like to have:

Coffee or English Tea?
Both?

Or even several
cups

ofChinese
tea.
For
you, no
problem! We will
make it
for you!
This is perhaps
repeated
every
morning
in many
Kopitams
(Non-airconditioned
coffee
shops) each
day.In
many
coffee
shops; an
offering of 5

oranges are
also offered
with
the coffee
or tea!
Why 5
oranges? This
has
to do
with the
Cantonese
custom of
"praying" to
the 5
spirits: of
the
North,
South, East, West
and Centre
spirit or
"5-Ghosts".


Thanks
you
for
your explaination!
There are
many
Chinese
culture I want to
study
more. Chinese culture is
very
interesting and
diversified.

[Cecil Lee]

“Tree God”

Yellow cloth tied around a tree.

This is found at Block 529 Ang Mo Kio. Beside the block’s Coffeeshop.