Nine Emperor Gods Festival Countdown - 3 More Days

Q: When is usually the best time to visit this festival

A: If you want to see the crowd, people and activities, night time are usually the best, or whenever they have specific prayers or a procession. The timing for these activities will differ from temple to temple, and it is best to find out from the temple or their webpage/Facebook.

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Nine Emperor Gods Festival Countdown - 4 More Days

Q:Why does he go prancing about around the temple and dancing on the stage?

A: The spirit medium is possessed by the Nine Emperor God, and he goes around inspecting and blessing the grounds of the temple to ensure all is well. And yes, he does have some pretty awesome moves; Heaven must have a dance club that really rocks.

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Nine Emperor Gods Festival Countdown - 5 More Days

Q: I see that the devotees go off in a procession at the beginning of the festival with mediums, urns and whatnot, where on earth are they headed to?

A: They are off to invite the Nine Emperor Gods to the temple. They don't come flying in on Air Force One or some chartered royal jets; but have to be invited from a body of water, be it the sea or river or lake.

PS - A friend of mine says even monsoon drains are used... Looks like the Emperor can't be picky in this modern age, ahahahaha.

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Nine Emperor Gods Festival Countdown - 6 More Days

Q:What is that pair of red wooden block that I see them throwing around, the ones with one side rounded and the other side being flat.

A: They are a type of divination blocks called jiao bei.

Q: So what answers do they get from throwing those blocks?

A: Put it simply, a YES, NO or LOL (yes seriously the gods do laugh at the questions asked).

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Nine Emperor Gods Festival Countdown - 7 More Days

Q: What do the devotees do during the festival?

A: In a nutshell; Eat, Sleep, Pray. They go on a strict bland vegetarian diet, some move into rooms/dorms within the temple for the entire 9 days of the festival and pray several times a day to purify themselves and obtain the blessings of the Nine Emperor Gods

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Nine Emperor Gods Festival Countdown - 8 More Days

Q: Where can you find the Nine Emperor Gods Festival?

A: The festival is associated with the South-East Asia Chinese diaspora, hence the celebration can be found in certain parts of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and certain parts of Indonesia.

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Nine Emperor Gods Festival Countdown - 9 More Days

Q: Why stage Chinese opera, especially when no one is even bothered to watch?
A: The opera is part and parcel of Chinese temple celebrations, and is a form of ritual offering to the deities, as entertainment. Hence the show goes on even though no one watches them.

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Nine Emperor Gods Festival Countdown - 10 More Days

Q: Why do Nine Emperor Gods devotees wear all white?

A: As a symbol of purity and humility, and also possibly a symbol of mourning.

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Nine Emperor Gods Festival Countdown - 11 More Days

The time for Nine Emperor Gods Festival is fast drawer near. So each day I will post a photo of the festival from previous years to mark the countdown to the eve of the festival.

Q: When does the Nine Emperor Gods Festival starts?

A: For 2016, the first day of the festivals falls on Oct 1

Q: Why countdown to the eve of the festival and not the actual day?

A: Many activities associated with the festival starts on the eve of the festival, which falls on Sept 30 2016.

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