Tonight the Nine Emperor Gods invitation procession will depart at 7.15pm. As usual the lion and dragon dances will commence earlier.
Showing posts with label event. Show all posts
Showing posts with label event. Show all posts
Sunday, September 25, 2022
And So It Begins... Raising the Lantern Pole for Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2022
Saturday, September 24, 2022
Ampang Is All Set For Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2022
After what seemed like weeks of never ending clean-ups and touch-ups, Ampang Nine Emperor Gods temple is on the final leg to being ready for this year's Nine Emperor Gods festival.
Not surprising as this would be the first time after a two-year hiatus that the festival would be celebrated in a grand scale post COVID pandemic. Hence the temple management and team had spared no effort in ensuring that this year's festival will be smooth sailing and as grand as possible.
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It must be exhausting as well as exhilarating for the people involved, for what needs to be dusted was dusted, and what needs to be painted had been painted. In past two weeks, the temple became a gathering space for familiar faces coming together for this festival, very much like a big family reunion.
So in this post, the pictures are dedicated to the familiar faces and familiar sights that herald the start of the festival at Ampang Nan Tian Gong Nine Emperor Gods Temple (安邦南天宫). And as tomorrow is the eve of the festival, we will eagerly await the raising of the lantern pole and the invitation of the Nine Emperor Gods.
As a reminder, the schedule for the Nine Emperor Gods Festival at Ampang reverts to what it was before the pandemic, with the only exception being that the dormitories are not open this year. The rest of the activities are as before as listed below (times are approximates and invitation ceremonies usually start earlier than when the entourage leaves the temple):
Important Dates for Ampang Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2022
25th Sept (Eve of the Festival) : Raising the Lantern Pole ( ~ 11am)
: Invitation of Nine Emperor Gods (starts ~ 5pm)
27th Sept (Day 2): Invitation of Finance Minister (starts ~ 5pm)
28th Sept (Day 3): Feeding the Heavenly Armies ( ~ 2pm)
1st Oct (Day 6) : Feeding the Heavenly Armies ( ~ 2pm)
3rd Oct (Day 8) : Bridge Crossing ( ~ 8pm)
4th Oct (Day 9) : Feeding the Heavenly Armies ( ~ 2pm)
: Fire Crossing ( ~ 8pm)
Early hours of the 10th day - Sending off Nine Emperor Gods
5th Oct (Day 10) : Taking down the Lantern Pole ( ~ 10am)
Thursday, February 17, 2022
Masi Magam Theppa Thiruvizha 2022 @ Penang
The Masi Magam Theppa Thiruvizha celebrated by the Sri Singamuga Kaliamman Temple in Teluk Bahang, Penang is one of the lesser known but truly unique festival celebrated here. This festival, which usually occurs at the end of February or early March every year, has been celebrated by this temple annually since the early 1900s.
So what is Masi Magam?
Masi Magam is a Hindu festivals popular with Tamils and is celebrated when the Moon is in the Magha/Magam nakshatra (star/asterism) during the Tamil month of Masi (Feb - March), hence the name Masi Magam. The Magha star is α-Leonis (Regulus) in the Western constellation of Leo and in Hindu astrology this star is associated with power and royalty.
On this auspicious day, it is said that prayers done is very efficacious in removing afflictions in life, particularly those associated with ancestors (pitru dhosa) as the Magha star is controlled by Ketu (lunar descending node) which governs past actions and ancestors.
Temples in Southern India (as well as Southern Indian temples of the Tamil diaspora like in Malaysia) will usually hold temple festivals i.e. Thiruvizha on this day where the temple idols will be paraded out on temple chariots and taken for a ceremonial bath in a body of water (Theerthavari). Devotees will then take a dip in this body of water as it is believed to be blessed thus capable of relieving past afflictions and wash away bad karma.
So now we come to Theppa Thiruvizha... instead of parading the idols in chariots, the Sri Singamuga Kaliamman Temple in Penang does it by boat, hence it is called a Theppa (i.e. a float or decorated boat) Thiruvizha! This unique way of celebrating the festival here calls for a specially built, beautifully decorated and brightly lit boat that will carry the deity out to sea in the evening as the sun sets, with fireworks going off before she is given the ceremonial bath out at sea.
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It is, I believe one of the only temple in Malaysia to carry out a Theppa Thiruvizha for Masi Magam. And to add to the stunningly lit float that stands out against the darkening evening sky, devotees also release floating lamps onto the water, and the sea in that area magically transforms into this mesmerizing sparkling sea of lights.
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In the past, this festival at Teluk Bahang Penang usually attracts up to 40k devotees and tonnes of photographers all wanting to participate and catch a glimpse of this amazing event. However, the number of participants are very much less this year, and there wasn't much of a crowd at all since we are still in the pandemic. In fact you could even count the number of photographers present with both hands!
2022 actually marks the 115th year that the temple has carried out the celebration in this unique fashion, and despite the various restrictions presented by the Covid-19 SOPs and the current Omicron wave, I must say they have managed to pull it off very well to keep this tradition alive.
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So next time you are in Penang around February - March, do check out the Masi Magam Theppa Thiruvizha here.
Sunday, October 03, 2021
A Low Key Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2021 for Ampang
With it being two more days before the eve of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2021, the Ampang Nine Emperor Gods temple (安邦南天宮) is unusually calm and quiet compared to pre-Covid times. The usual stream of people dropping off rice, oil and other foodstuff as donations and offerings were completely absent this year.
However, there were more devotees present than in the previous week, probably making use of the weekend before the temple closes its doors for the festival to place donations and pay for coil incense to be lit on behalf of them during the festival by the temple staff. Outside, within the temple grounds, the dragon joss sticks were already
up, and I was informed that more are coming on Monday. Towards the end of the day, more
devotees turn up to offer their prayers in lieu of doing so during the
festival as the temple will only allow their committee and limited
number of members to attend the prayers during the festival to avoid any
over crowding issues.
The unusual calmness and lack of activity during this time of the year does feel pretty disturbing, especially if you are so used to the chaos and cacophony that is the hallmark of the temple gearing up for the Nine Emperor Gods Festival. So here's to a quiet and uneventful Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2021.
Important Dates:
Eve of 2021 Nine Emperor Gods Festival: 5th October 2021 (Tuesday)
First Day of Nine Emperor Gods Festival: 6th October 2021 (Wednesday)
Ninth Day of Nine Emperor Gods Festival: 14th October 2021 (Thursday)
Thursday, September 30, 2021
Yet Another Year of Quiet Prayers behind Closed Doors - the Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2021
Yes it is almost time for Nine Emperor Gods Festival again, as it is just 6 more days before the festival begins. This year the festival begins on the 6th of October 2021 (1st day of the ninth lunar month) and ends on the 14th of October 2021 (ninth day of the lunar ninth month).
However, the festive atmosphere here in Malaysia is again missing this year as many temples here have either opted to hold simple ceremonies or to make the prayers a private affair only for the temple committee and senior members.
In fact almost all of the famous Nine Emperor Gods temples in Klang Valley are holding the prayers behind closed doors, for example Ampang Nan Tian Gong temple, Jinjang Bei Tian Gong temple, and Sg.Way Leng Eng Tian temple; the main reason being to prevent large crowds of devotees from thronging these temples, thus making adherence to Covid-19 SOP difficult.
Hopefully next year we will see some semblance of normality for such festivals, although returning to the way this festival were celebrated before Covid-19 does seems impossible for now.
Wednesday, February 03, 2021
Happy Li Chun (Beginning of Spring) 2021
Happy Li Chun to all... Li Chun (立春) or known as Beginning of Spring is a Chinese calendar solar term, and marks the beginning of a new Chinese zodiac year. Being a solar term, it has a fixed date in the Gregorian
calendar, and usually falls on Feb 4 (plus or minus one day) - this year
it falls on Feb 3rd at 10:58:39 pm and marks the start of the year of the Metal Ox (辛丑).
Chinese New Year is of course coming up, being only 8 days away. As this year's Chinese New Year (which is calculated based on a lunisolar system) begins after this year's Li Chun and ends before the following year's Li Chun, it is considered a 'Double Blind Year' as it does not meet with Li Chun either in the beginning or at the end. Traditionally a double blind lunisolar year is considered inauspicious for certain activity like marriage.
Sunday, October 25, 2020
Dou Mu and The Ninth Day of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival
The ninth day of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, which is the last day of the festival, is also the birthday (or more correctly the manifestation anniversary) of Dou Mu (斗姆元君), the Mother Goddess of the Nine Emperor Gods.
Prayers specifically to Dou Mu on this day to ask for her blessings are believed to be very efficacious, and temples would usually conduct this prayer today, besides holding the usual events for Nine Emperor Gods Festival such as fire walking or bridge crossing.
Unfortunately this year's festival had been dampened by the Covid-19 pandemic and is very much a non-event in many parts of Malaysia. And as we bid this year's not so happening Nine Emperor Gods Festival goodbye, we can only hope that next year we get to enjoy all the festivities as usual again.
Thursday, October 22, 2020
Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020 Day 6 - A Different Feeding the Armies (犒军) Ceremony at Ampang
The Feeding of the Heavenly Armies Ceremony (Ko Kun - 犒军) during Nine Emperor Gods Festival at Ampang Nine Emperor Gods Temple is usually a very crowded and vibrant event, with devotees and onlookers jostling to get a glimpse of what is happening.
However, this year with the Covid-19 pandemic and the government imposed movement control order, it has resulted in a very different and strangely quiet ceremony, carried out only by the temple committee members sans the priest, large amount of food, mediums and thronging devotees in white.
Friday, October 09, 2020
The Day The Music Died... How the 'New Normal' has Affected the Ampang Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020
Today is exactly 7 days to the eve of this year's Nine Emperor Gods Festival, and as the festival draws near, one cannot help feel a little disappointed as nothing much is actually happening due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the ongoing Covid-19 situation in Malaysia, the decision was made by the the Ampang Nine Emperor Gods temple management on the 16th of September to cancel this year's festivities altogether, although the temple will still be open for worshipers. For me, the once in a year 'life' of Ampang New Village has literally being 'silenced' by this decision.
And that means there will be no loud Chinese opera music from the temple this year, no clanging of temple bells and lion dance troupes bashing cymbals and drums on the eve of the festival this year, no loud announcements from the temple of people looking for their relatives etc....
Looking back at one of my post from 2019 when I said that the festival has always been Same same but Different (click to read that post in 2019), little did I know that I would be be proven so wrong this year, with the festival turning out to be very, very different. Perhaps I should have taken back what I have said about the festival being a 'repeat year in year out'.
Perhaps all we can hope (and pray) for is that in 2021, the festival will return to normal, whatever normal might be then...
So here's a list of a few other things that we will be missing this year at Ampang without the Nine Emperor Gods Festival...
- Massive traffic crawl from Jalan Ampang leading to the temple.
- Friendly old aunties staying in the dorm (will miss seeing them having aged one more year)
- The crowd formed by devotees dressed all in white during the Feeding of the Heavenly Armies (Ko Kun)
- The stalls lining the roads leading to the temple and in the temple courtyard
- Processions for the invitation of the Nine Emperor Gods and Finance Minister
- Bridge crossing and fire walking and...
- Cheryl Hoffmann... she has gone back to be at her daughter's wedding (Congrats!!!)... I hope she will be back to join us in 2021
Next post - Covid-19 and the cancellation of Nine Emperor Gods Festival in Klang Valley:
Previous post in this countdown series to Nine Emperor Gods 2020 series:
Sunday, October 04, 2020
Nine Emperor Gods Festival: Bizarre Body Piercings When the Spirits Descend...
Counting down to Nine Emperor Gods Festival which is only 13 days away (or 12 days to the eve of the festival), let us talk about one of the more intriguing visual aspects of this celebration.
Besides the yellow flags and vegetarian stalls, one of the many iconic images associated with the upcoming Nine Emperor Gods Festival you see on the internet are those of bizarre and extreme body piercings done by Thai spirit mediums (Mah Songs). Not only are the piercings large, the items used leaves little to the imagination and are often unreligious but consist of mundane household objects... bicycle, step-ladders, stand-fan, blades, swords, etc.
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| 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 |
Whilst we seldom see such bizarre practices here in Malaysia, there are a few local mediums that do it, and there are also temples whom 'employ' mediums from Southern Thailand for this festival as a means to attract devotees and visitors to flock to their temple to witness this spectacle, as in the case of Kuala Pilah Nine Emperor Gods Temple.
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| Medium with lucky charms hanging from his cheek piercing. whilst the rod may look short and unimposing for now, they will connect huge flages to both ends of the rod for the procession through the town later on. |
So why do these mediums carry out such bizarre piercings? Well, some believe that by inflicting pain or mutilating themselves, the gods that possesses the spirit medium are transferring bad luck and averting misfortune from the devotees onto themselves.
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| Piercing the cheek of a medium in trance.... |
Also the blood that flows from self-inflicted wounds are believed to be 'divine' blood as it flows from a body that carries the divine spirit, and thus is used to make 'blood talismans' i.e. talisman with blood from self-mutilations smeared onto them. That is why you see in the pictures here the mediums have talismans and lucky objects hanging from their piercings as to empower them with this 'divine' power.
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| Having a metal bar pierced through your cheek isn't a typical job for the faint-heated or the uninitiated. |
Next post in this countdown to Nine Emperor Gods 2020 series:
Previous post in this countdown to Nine Emperor Gods 2020 series:
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Will the Show Still Go On after Covid-19?? - Countdown to Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020
Amongst all of the culture and performing arts groups affected by Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia, one group that stands out as receiving the brunt end of the deal are they opera troupes that perform for temple celebrations and festivals. This year has seen all of their appointments being canceled, including those for Nine Emperor Gods Festival that is drawing near. The question is will they survive the pandemic and still be there when it all ends? Or will the final curtain fall on them...
Looking back at these pictures of the ritual performance for the invitation ceremony of Jinjang Nine Emperor Gods Festival in 2019 by the Chinese opera troupe there brings back good memories; and our prayers goes out to them that may we see them again in 2021...
Next post in this countdown series:
Previous post in this countdown to Nine Emperor Gods 2020 series:
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.
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| 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
What is the Nine Emperor Gods Festival?
The Nine Emperor Gods Festival (九皇爷诞) is a popular festival celebrated in South East Asia, particularly in areas that are the focal points of the Southern Chinese diaspora, like Phuket in Southern Thailand, Penang and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Singapore and certain areas of Indonesia.
This festival is sometimes known as Vegetarian Festival or Tesagan Gin Je in Thailand. Interestingly, this festival does not exist in Mainland China or Taiwan, and is distinctive to the Chinese diaspora outside China. Unique to this festival is the 9 day duration (10 days if you include activities on the eve of the festival), and devotees that wear white and use white or yellow candles and joss-sticks to pray instead of the usual red ones.
A lantern with nine lamps (高燈 or 九曲燈 - pic below) is raised on the eve of the festival to inform the gods that the celebration is happening at the location and an invitation ceremony, that is usually very festive, to invite the Nine Emperor Gods from a body of water usually happens later that day.
At the end of the festival, the Nine Emperor Gods are sent off back to the body of water that they
were invited from, usually with another procession consisting of priest, mediums and devotees.
Who are the Nine Emperor Gods (九皇爺 / 九皇大帝)?
The exact origin of the Nine Emperor Gods (九皇大帝) worshiped is unclear, and there are many versions of the origin of this worship. The practice seems to be an amalgamated practice of Taoist Li Dou (Big Dipper Prayer) mixed in with folk spirit worship.
The Nine Emperor Gods are sometimes said to be the nine sons of Dou Mu (斗母), the Mother Goddess of the Taoist pantheon and hence a lot of Nine Emperor Gods temples are called Dou Mu Gong (斗母宮) - literally the Mother of Dipper Star Palace. There is also the version that associates the Nine Emperor Gods with nine Ming Dynasty heroes who fought to overthrow the Qing Dynasty that were beheaded.
In some places like Ampang, there is another version linking the Nine Emperor Gods as a product of the secret society (Hong Secret Society - 洪門會) trying to hide their activities from the law. Regardless of which story you believe in, the worship of Nine Emperor Gods are very popular with the local devotees and their efficacy in answering prayers attested to.
Why do people worship these Nine Emperor Gods?
Whilst there are many (muddled) versions of how this festival started, it all points down to being able to seek help from a higher source to help them with their lives. The festival is a chance for them to pray for a better future, or to purify themselves by participating in rituals associated with this festival such as bridge crossing and fire-walking. Also one can engage Taoist priest to conduct luck opening or luck increasing ceremonies during this festival which is said to be very efficacious.
When does this festival happen?
This festival is celebrated from the 1st day to the 9th day of the 9th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar. The dates usually fall around late Sept to mid Oct in the Gregorian calendar. Bear in mind that the festival actually starts on the eve of the celebration with the nine lamp lantern pole raising.
- 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.
Where can I read up more about this festival?
- 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.
What is this 'Zhai' (斋) banner that I see on food stalls all about?
During this festival, one will surely not miss the yellow coloured banner with the character 斋 (zhai), usually in red. On the surface, this 'zhai' seems to represent the food ie vegetarianism that is associated with this festival, but in actual fact the Chinese character means abstinence or fast. So what do the devotees supposedly fast from?
- 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.
Hence the food that is sold for this festival is more akin to vegan food (minus the pungent vegetables) than just being vegetarian. Also the cooking utensils and eating cutlery must also be clean and have not come in contact with animal/meat products.
In reality, this festival is not just about the food being 'pure', but the other aspects of the abstinence should be practiced in order to achieve the purification and blessings associated with the festival.
Who are the half naked guys in costumes running around?
Those are the spirit medium that are part and parcel of this celebration. During the invitation ceremony, they also serve to usher the spirit of the nine emperor gods to descend (besides the priest's incantations), and to conduct certain rituals for the benefit of the devotees which includes empowering talismans, fire-walking etc.
Why do these mediums self-immolate and take on bizarre body piercings?
One is to purify the space and also to protect the devotees. The blood shed from this immolation is a form of self-sacrifice, and since they are supposedly possessed by deities when doing so, the blood has protective power that can be used to clean a space, or empower talismans.
The bizarre and sometimes brutal piercing also serves to prove to devotees that they are indeed possessed by gods, as they appear to feel no pain, and the wound heal quickly once the piercings are removed.
When can you see these spirit mediums in action?
The deities are usually called upon to possess the mediums during rituals associated with the festival such as the lantern pole raising ceremony, the invitation ceremony, on certain days where they feed the heavenly armies that guards the temples, during processions to bless the area and devotees, and during rituals like bridge crossing or fire-walking.
Where does this festival happen?
Like they say, it is all about location, location, and location - basically wherever there are Nine Emperor Gods temple.
Phuket does the spirit mediums (as well as the festival) to the utmost intensity and fervor that is unmatched in other places. However if you are squeamish about brutal piercings, huge crowds and firecrackers going off at every corner, then Malaysia and Singapore are more suitable for you as a start to look into the festival.
Just look out for huge temple flags/banners or yellow lanterns set out along the roads leading to the temple, usually emblazoned with the Chinese words 九皇大帝 (Nine Emperor Gods) and you will be able to find them.
Next post in my countdown to Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020 series: Looking Back at Familiar Faces in Sacred Spaces - Countdown to Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020
Take note that the festival this year (2020) will either be scaled down or cancelled altogether in many places due to the Covid-19 pandemic (click to read post - So Near Yet So Far - A Different Nine Emperor Gods Festival for 2020.)
Please check with the respective temples if they are holding the festival and if one can attend the various ceremonies that they carry out.
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