Bringing Iron Rod Puppets to Life - Kim Giak Low Choon Teochew Puppet Opera

In Penang, the Kim Giak Low Choon Teochew Puppet Troupe (金玉楼春潮州木偶剧团) needs no introduction here in their hometown as they are one of the groups that are actively promoting and keeping the tradition of Teochew iron-rod puppet opera alive. Whilst they have performed in numerous shows organised by various government agencies and NGOs in the promotion of local intangible cultural heritage, I still enjoy their performances more when it is performed in a more traditional setting viz. in temple celebrations.

Such shows that usually performed in conjunction with a deity's birthday are called 酬神戏 (chóu shén xì) in Chinese and literally means Rewarding the Gods performance. There is this feel of the 'realness' in the show when they perform on the temple opera stage, with all the temple stuff around and not in a 'sanitised' set up. Plus if you block the intended audience of the show (the gods or spirits) when watching or shooting them, they would not be asking you to move aside, right?

I managed to catch Kim Giak Low Choon Teochew Puppet Troupe recently in such a setting during the Goddess of Mercy birthday celebration at Yuan Ying Gong (Hor Kai Kong) temple in Pulau Tikus, Penang. As always, their performances is joy to watch and shoot. The lack of audience during the performance there also meant that it was easy to maneuver around the front of the stage to capture the puppets and puppeteers in action.

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.

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.

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.

So next time you are in Penang around February - March, do check out the Masi Magam Theppa Thiruvizha here.

Kashmir - of Kangri pots, Pheran cloaks, and the men and women who use them

The use of fire-pots in Indian administered Kashmir is common during the colder months of the year. These wicker basket hand-held braziers are called Kangri (or Kangir/Kanger). Both men and women carry them around, tucked under their long wollen cloaks called Pheran/Phiran.

The Kangri or wicker basket brazier
/ fire-pot.

Wherever the men go, if you see one wearing a wollen pheran, you can bet he has his trustworthy kangri near him or hidden underneath his cloak. Come cold winds and chilly rain or snowfall, the kangri keeps them warm in their walkabouts town or when they are waiting for customers or friends to arrive.

Women carry them too, and that gives an impression, albeit false, that women there are pregnant all the time. In fact the bulge in the belly is the kangri being held underneath their pheran

There are shops where the locals can go and buy hot charcoals for their pots. The man that owns the shop (see pic below) and his wife and family works hard to keep the wood stoked so that he can provide customers with hot charcoal embers when theirs run out.

A Kashmiri men in pheran with his
kangri by the rodside near him
(by the green post).

They are NOT pregnant - they are just keeping their pots
in there. These women in pheran seemed to carry their pots
a little higher that the men do.

No, she is not handicapped and
definitely not pregnant! She is merely
holding the kangri with her right hand.

The water bong and a kangri - all that a
man would need in Kashmir.

The fire-pot man in Pahalgam -
see this post about him: Faces
of Kashmir - The Fire-Pot Man

The women of the family are responsible for the hard work
of bringing in the firewood for the charcoals.

Tips On The Run - shooting Chinese temple fairs and deity celebration

I have been doing a fair share of photographing Chinese temple fairs and processions in the past few years. It all started with trying to photograph the Nine Emperor Gods Festival in Ampang, and that end up becoming a staple part of my photography, ie doing temple celebrations of deities birthdays, temple openings and various processions associated with temples such as Nine Emperor Gods or Hungry Ghost Festival

Leading the way... the Nezha medium leading the procession with firecrackers along the streets
of Setapak, Kuala Lumpur. You need to be up in front and running with them to shoot him in
action, so good shoes and comfortable clothing is essential. And a bit of courage to face the...
flying firecrakers

Even though it sounds easy, photographing such events are not as simple as it seems. For one, there is the issue of access and boundaries, since they are conducting a religious rites and we should be respectful. Next is the official videographer/photographer, courtesy dictates that he or she would have priority. Then there is the eager crowd, hell bent to get in on a bit of the action. Lastly, the pace of the events and also the locations or spots than you can shoot from. Of course the final million dollar question is what you want to get from shooting these events: Is it the people, the action, the colours or rites?

So there are a few things that one should be ready for when going in to shoot such events. So I have listed down 7 tips that can help in getting the shot that you want:

1. Know the event and timings and go early - they usually start a little later than the stipulated time, but once in a blue moon, they will start early. Also good to be there before the crowd comes.
2. Bring water and candy if the event goes on for a long time (like a long procession) If you don't mind food from the temple, you can usually get at least water and candy from most of these events, or they would have F&B outlets.
3. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes, and bring a towel to wipe sweat or rain.
4. Spare batteries and spare cards
5. Temple joss urns are good spots to shoot - the combination of smoke, fire and people.
6. Paper burnings at the end of the festivals/celebration are great for fire shots, just watch where you stand and the heat
7. Be polite and respectful as it is their celebration and ritual, even when others are not respectful; you do not want to be labeled as the bastard that disrupted the ceremony.

So there you go, seven little things to consider and most important of all, enjoy the experience. After all, what is the point of shooting it if you yourself, the image maker, didn't enjoy the festivities; you can't expect those who view your images to like it if you don't, right?

Below are a few photos taken at the recent Monkey God birthday celebration in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur.

Offering of prayers at temples along the procession route for the Monkey God Festival in
Setapak, Kuala Lumpur.

Burning the talisman to end the
trance session.

Minding the joss-urn at the Monkey God temple
in Setapak.

Heave ho... Carrying the deities on palanquins for a walk.

I whip my (flywhisk) hair back
and forth.

Smoke... the veil between the realms

Reaching from other side...
(130mm, f/6.3, 1/100s, ISO1250)

Smoke... the veil between the realms' is a black and white essay that revolves around the use of smoke, incense and kemenyan (gum benjamin) during spirit medium consultations and trances. The smoke here appears to the photographer as the thin veil between the realm of the living and the other side, with objects being passed over smoke to bring out the magical, mystical properties of the spirit world. Hence the smoke represents the gateway that the medium breaches through and back, connecting both worlds.

Incense and smoke is a common denominator in many religious practices. Whether it is agarwood, frankincense, gum benjamin or a concoction of psychoactive herbs,  they have been employed as a means of offering, purification or a way to reach the other world

Menurun.... (Going into trance) (35mm, f/6.3, 1/50s, ISO1000)

Memotong... Tongue cutting for blood to write talisman.
(65mm, f/6.3, 1/50s, ISO1250)

Besides smoke, various acts and objects are always associated with trances, especially with local deity trances. Issuance of talismans, whether they are paper talismans written with ink or blood, or objects like limes, consultation on personal matters, 4-digit lottery numbers and even traditional healing remedies, all which requires the use of smoke to sanctify or empower it.

Menanya(kan soalan)... Consultation with the medium.
(18mm, f/5.6, 1/80, ISO640)