Appeasing the gods

Sincere Year of the Rabbit offering.

Last weekend was Chinese New Year and like most expats we got out of town. We landed at a beach resort on Pulau Penang, an island off the northwest coast of peninsular Malaysia. As Margaret's first non-work trip since arriving in August, the focus was on spa treatments and umbrella drinks, not so much sight-seeing. This picture was taken at one of the many, many, many temples in and around the city of Georgetown, once the dominant trading center in these parts until Singapore big-footed the region. 

This young woman was making an offering of oranges and flowers, two traditional New Year's gifts. The ritual was lost on me, but it was out of the ordinary. Everyone else just lit candles and donated cash. However, you don't need a temple to appease the gods. I was on my way to the grocery store when we got home and I came upon this shrine on our street -- a street that's been torn up for months by utility workers.

Makeshift Year of the Rabbit offering, but surely no less sincere.

My guess is whoever left this roadside attraction, complete with candles, oranges, smoking joss sticks and smoldering paper was praying for a safe and, more importantly, swift completion of this seemingly endless task.