The highlight of the annual Sai-Yit Kuan Seng Te Kui celebration took place on July 18, when devotees gathered to honour Guan Yu ‒ the Chinese god of honesty, bravery, and virtue ‒ in a ceremony rooted in tradition and community spirit.
At 7:30am, 9,000 kilogrammes of rice, packed into 1,800 bags, were handed out to local residents as part of the shrine’s longstanding charitable mission.
The event was attended by several community leaders and dignitaries, including Chokchai Ong Santiphap, a shrine committee member; Uwanna Thirasattawong, President of the Kuan Yu Foundation; and Tanong Ong Santiphap, advisor to the Kuan Yu Nabon Foundation.
Also present were Lt Cdr Chirasak Tongprasong; Tanong Tonot, Deputy Mayor of Chalong Municipality; Suriya Srihachan, Chairman of the Shrine Committee, Chalerm Kobchinkan, Secretary to the Mayor of Chalong Municipality; and Somchai Kankanok, Chairman of the Tie-Dye Group of Ban Wat Mai Community, who helped distribute the rice to grateful recipients.
At 9am, the traditional Jok Liu ceremony ‒ a worship ritual honouring the deity ‒ was held with solemn reverence, drawing worshippers from across the island to pay their respects and seek blessings.
Organisers said the annual Sai-Yit (birthday) ceremony serves not only to preserve important cultural and religious traditions, but also to foster a sense of unity, compassion, and goodwill among the local community.