A couple carried their child up Batu Caves as a sign of gratitude for Lord Muruga's blessing, one day before the second Covid-19 lockdown in Selangor. |
A photoblog of stories, events, culture and travel. Let the images tell you what I see.
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Eight More Days to Thaipusam 2021... A Different Thaipusam due to Covid-19
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
Happy Thai Pongal 2021
Sugarcanes for sale for Pongal |
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Menurun....
Saturday, November 14, 2020
Happy Deepavali 2020
Sunday, October 25, 2020
Dou Mu and The Ninth Day of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival
Thursday, October 22, 2020
Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020 Day 6 - A Different Feeding the Armies (犒军) Ceremony at Ampang
Friday, October 16, 2020
A Smoky but Silent Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020 at Ampang
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
No Go for Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020 in Ampang and KL
Wednesday, October 07, 2020
Fire and Purification - The Nine Emperor Gods Festival
Sunday, October 04, 2020
Nine Emperor Gods Festival: Bizarre Body Piercings When the Spirits Descend...
A spirit medium with a big rod through his cheek connected to a small push bike during the 2019 Kuala Pilah Nine Emperor Gods Festival procession |
Having a metal bar pierced through your cheek isn't a typical job for the faint-heated or the uninitiated. |
Thursday, October 01, 2020
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival 2020
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival (or Mooncake Festival) to all my friends. Pictured here is a type of mooncake called Moonlight Cake(月光饼) that is not frequently seen and is associated with the Hakka people.
This cake is very simple and made of glutinous rice flour, sugar, oil/shortening plus some flavouring like fragrant screw-pine (pandan). The cake when dry is powdery and crumbly, but exposed to humidity it becomes chewy and sticky. Not the usual rich and filling Cantonese style mooncakes but more than enough to give you a sugar rush.
The poem on the left is a popular poem associated with the moon and the Mid-Autumn Festival by a popular Chinese poet... take a guess which one is that.
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Will the Show Still Go On after Covid-19?? - Countdown to Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020
Sunday, September 27, 2020
Looking Back at Familiar Faces in Sacred Spaces - Countdown to Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020
As a continuation to my series of Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020 countdown posts (click to see previous post - Nine Emperor Gods (九皇大帝) Festival 2020: What to Expect This Year??), we take a look at a familiar face in a sacred space from last year's (2019) Nine Emperor Gods Festival, knowing that many familiar faces would not be seen in this year's Nine Emperor Gods celebration, either due to cancelled celebration or they are socially distanced and safe behind face mask; the unfortunate outcome of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A familiar face of Ampang's Nine Emperor Gods temple during the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, is Ah Boon sifu, shown here in trance during the 2019 Nine Emperor Gods Festival. |
Next post in this countdown series to Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020
If you need a quick introduction to what Nine Emperor Gods (九皇爷) and this festivals is all about, you can read about it in my brief introductory post about Nine Emperor Gods:
Friday, September 25, 2020
Nine Emperor Gods Festival - All About The What, Who, Why, When and Where of this Festival
- In 2020 - 17th till the 25th of October.
- In 2021 - 4th till the 13th of October.
- In 2022 - 24th of September till the 3rd of October.
- A good start is this academic paper by Cheu Hock Tong entitled - The Festival of the Nine Emperor Gods in Malaysia: Myth, Ritual, and Symbol.
- Read my past postings in 2016 to find out more about the little details of this festival:
- ⇒ Nine Emperor Gods Festival Countdown - 11 More Days until...
- ⇒ Nine Emperor Gods Festival Countdown - 1 More Day.
- Google it...there are lots of resources and views on the festival online.
- Meat/animal products including dairy and eggs ( this includes wearing leather garments/items)
- Five pungent root vegetables (onion, garlic, leek, garlic chives, spring onion) - although some only abstain from garlic.
- Alcohol (allowed in some places, especially where beer companies sponsor the temple banners).
- Sexual contact.
- Negative actions, feelings and thoughts.
Saturday, September 19, 2020
Let's Start With a Trip Down Memory Lane - Countdown to Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020
Cucuk... (Piercing). Thai mediums at Kuala Pilah Nine Emperor Gods Temple (Si Thian Kong) undergo piercing for the festival parade in 2019. |
Thursday, September 17, 2020
So Near Yet So Far - A Different Nine Emperor Gods Festival for 2020
- 1st day of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival - Saturday, 17th of October 2020
- 9th day of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival - Sunday, 25th October 2020