to the position of reverence similar to that of Confucius, the
great Sage of China.All these awards have helped the people to remember and wor-
ship Kuan Ti not only as a God of War but also as their God of
Chivalry and Prosperity. He is also regarded as the Guardian of
the Brave, Loyal and Righteous, and so on. However it must be
mentioned here that the manner of worship of Kuan Ti at his
temples are not necessarily a Buddhist practice, although he has
earned a place into the Chinese Pantheon. Buddhism may accept
and even encourages its followers to revere the Gods for their
virtues or pray to them for some protection or worldly boons, but
they must always be aware that Enlightenment cannot be won
by such practices and that their refuge should be sought in the
ree Jewels only.As a Buddhist deity, Kuan Ti stands alone but as a Taoist deity
he is usually accompanied by two other companions. A young
looking man is always protrayed beside him holding his seal
while Chang Fei can be seen with his halberd which according
to tradition, the edge of it facing towards the direction of the
suspected danger from evil influence. For this reason he is often
depicted as standing behind Kuan Ti’s right so that his halberd
may face the other direction, if so required.Kuan Ti’s anniversaries fall on the 13th day of the 2nd moon
and the 13th day of the 5th moon in Malaysia and Singapore
while Hong Kong celebrates it on the 24th day of the 6th moon.
It is also customary for the Chinese to make their way to Kuan
Ti temples at the start of the Chinese New Year to offer prayers