US Chinese Folk Religion "Divination Sticks" and Holder: "Kau Cim"

These Chinese fortune telling sticks and their holder is called "kau cim." Kau cim is a Chinese fortune telling practice associated with Chinese Folk Religion that requests answers from the sacred oracle lot in a temple. The practice is based on the Book of Changes or "I-Ching".

The kau cim bucket is a bamboo handheld cylinder box. Kau cim sticks are a number of flat sticks stored in the box. A number from 1 to 78 in Chinese characters is inscribed on each stick. The practitioner shakes the box full of the sticks until just one stick pokes out. This number corresponds to a fortune that is written down in an interpreter's book.

Chinese folk religion is a polytheistic religion, a mixture of China's three main religions: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Inside a typical temple, for example, may be found a Buddhist bodhisattva and a Taoist god. Worship in Chinese temples usually consists of making offerings to the various gods, spirits and ancestors.

Gods can be associated with natural phenomena, for instance, a god of the sea or fire. Practitioners of Chinese folk religion may worship important historical personages like generals. Chinese people also worship their early ancestors, an important part of Confucianism, by having ancestral shrines. Mythological stories help explain the creation of the universe, the origin of the human race, and important skills like medicine-making. As one of the most important creatures in Chinese mythology, Chinese dragons play a decisive role in these stories.
Source:
http://accesschinese.com/divination/kaucim/kaucim.php
https://interfaith.wisc.edu/2022/12/10/the-state-of-religion-in-china-and-chinese-folk-religion-jiaming-xie/
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2023/08/30/confucianism-taoism-and-chinese-folk-religions/#:~:text=It is an essential component,making wishes