Thursday, October 07, 2021

Sekinchan Nine Emperor Gods Festival - Invitation Ceremony for the South Star Deity on Day 2

On the night of the 2nd day of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, the Sekinchan Nine Emperor Gods temple (适耕庄南天宫九皇大帝) invited the South Star deity (南斗星君) back to their temple. Even though it was a simple ceremony without any elaborate procession or fanfare, one can sense the intense religious fervor that pervaded the ceremony emanating from the temple members and mediums in trance who were tasked with carrying it out.

Coming back from the inviting the South Star Deity on 2ns Day of Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2021

The ceremony starts (as usual) with the mediums going into trance to the beat of the gongs and hand drums. This is then followed by the royal parasol, the sedan chairs and the temple entourage leaving for a selected location to do the invitation.

Sekinchan Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2021 Day 2 South Star invitation

Coming back from the invitation ceremony

medium in trance

Upon return back to the temple, the entourage were greeted with lit firecrackers and the sedan chairs were then paraded around the temple altar table whilst being rocked hard before being placed back to their respective places in the temple after the deities on board have been let in into the temple's inner chamber. After that mediums who are still in trance attended to the various needs of the devotees.

This year, the Sekinchan Nine Emperor Gods temple is one of the few Nine Emperor Gods temple in Klang Valley whose prayers and ceremonies are open to the public whom have been fully vaccinated, and I believe it is also the only one in Klang Valley that did raise the lantern flagpole for this year's Nine Emperor Gods Festival which is accessible to the public at large.


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