SHAH ALAM: The Malaysian Association of Themepark and Family Attractions (MATFA) hosted its Prosperity Chinese New Year (CNY) luncheon, and also held its annual meeting today, the ninth day of CNY, which is known to be an auspicious day for the Chinese.
The ninth day of CNY is known to be the first month of the Lunar calendar and it is a special celebration mainly for the Hokkien people as it is a day for them to “Phai Thi Kong”, which literally means “praying to the Heaven God”.
It is believed that it is the birthday of the Jade Emperor (or Thi Kong in Hokkien dialect), who protected the ancestors of Hokkien people from the ruthless army in ancient China.
This year, MATFA extended its warm welcome to Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, who was the guest of honour at its Prosperity CNY Luncheon 2023, which included a lion dance performance, and the grand Lou Sang. The event ended with a presentation of a momento to Tiong and a photo session.
MATFA’s president Tan Sri Richard Koh in his congratulatory note, said “We would like to congratulate Tiong for his appointment as the Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.”
He added that, “MATFA looks forward to working with Tiong to ensure the bright future of the country’s development and conduct of the business of theme parks, attractions and family entertainment centres.”
Together with the committee members, MATFA will strive to encourage every aspect of the business operations in Malaysia in order to raise standards and enhance the quality of theme parks, attractions and family entertainment centres.
For more information on MATFA, visit https://matfa.org.my/
