Showing posts with label single shot+color. Show all posts
Showing posts with label single shot+color. Show all posts

Saturday, January 21, 2023

Happy Lunar New Year 2023

Tomorrow is the Lunar New Year (Jan 22nd 2023) and many of us are all geared up to usher in the Year of the Water Rabbit (癸卯).
 
Some of us may still be busy with last minute shopping whilst others are already back in their hometowns with their family for the customary reunion dinner tonight.

Technically it is still the Year of the Water Tiger (壬寅) as the first day of the Year of the Water Rabbit occurs on Li Chun (立春 - Beginning of Spring) which falls on February 4th.
 
Chinese New Year lights Kek Lok Si temple Penang

 Wishing all my readers a Happy Lunar New Year!

Monday, January 31, 2022

Happy Lunar New Year 2022 - Wishing All A Roaring Tiger Year

Tomorrow is the Lunar New Year (Feb 1st) and whilst it may be Chinese New Year to some and Tet Nguyen Dan to others, the coming lunar year is the Year of the Tiger.

Technically for the Chinese calendar, it isn't the Year of the Water Tiger (壬寅) as yet as the year actually changes on the solar calendar term Li Chun (立春 - Beginning of Spring) which falls on February 4th. However most people are unaware of it and would consider the lunar new year date as the start of the Tiger year.

Chinese New Year greeting with lanterns and KLCC twin towers

So here's to the tail end of the Cow year and wishing all a good head start for the Tiger Year...

新年快乐, 瑞虎丰年!

Friday, January 14, 2022

Happy Thai Pongal 2022

Pongal or Thai Pongal, is a Tamil festival that is celebrated in the month of Thai and usually falls on January 14 (January 15 on leap years). Despite being lesser known and is often overshadowed by Thaipusam that occurs several days later, nevertheless it is an important festival to the Tamils as it celebrates Uttarayan, or the movement of the sun shifting back north after the end of its southward journey into the Tropic of Capricorn, thus marking the end of winter. Now you will say, hey this sounds like the Winter Solstice in December that is celebrated in many cultures, but why is it in January and not in December?
 
Overflowing pongal pot
The pot of milk, rice and jaggery that is being boiled overflowing and accompanied by shouts
of Pongalo Pongal during Thai Pongal festival.

Well you are right, it is the Tamil/Hindu equivalent of the Northern hemisphere Winter Solstice but the reason for the date discrepancy is because Tamil/Hindu calendar and astrology are based on sidereal precession instead of tropical precession like the Western and Chinese calendar/astrology. Due to the precession of the Earth on its axis, the date when the Sun enters Tropic of Capricorn is seen by us today to be happening in Dec (usually Dec 21) instead of January. In 26000 years time from the start of the Tamil/Hindu sidereal calendar, then Winter Solstice will coincide with Thai Pongal again in January as the Earth makes a complete cycle wobbling on its axis.

This festival is also celebrated in the northern parts of India as Makar Sankrati, in West Bengal as Poush Sankrati or Maghe Sankrati in Nepal; and as well as wherever the Indian diaspora can be found. In Malaysia, where the local Indian communities whom are mostly Tamils, celebrate Thai Pongal with great fervour despite it being not a public holiday.

The day before Pongal is called Bhogi Pandigal (Bhogi or Pogi in short), and it is a day to get rid of old stuff and set it on fire, symbolically getting rid of the old and starting anew. On the day of Pongal, Tamil families would first set up a tripod of three sugarcane sticks, and beneath it a new, colourful earthenware pot (pongapani) wrapped with a stalk of turmeric plant (leaves, stem and a bit of the root; some people wrap it when the cooking is almost done as to prevent it from being completely burnt), is used to boil rice with jaggery and milk, then topped with spices, nuts and dried fruits (eg. cardamom, cinnamon, cashews and raisins) and are allowed to boil over and the liquid bubble out of the pot.

Setting up the pot for making sakkarai pongal
Setting up the pot for cooking.

Adding rice etc into the pot for making sakkarai pongal
Adding rice to the mixture.

The pot boils over with shouts of Pongalo pongal!
Pongalo pongal!

When that happens it is customary to shout Pongalo Pongal to usher in auspiciousness for the new year. Once the cooking is done, the resulting sweet rice dish (called sakkarai pongal - literally sweet pongal) is then offered as prasadam to the Sun God (Surya) and other deities first and later consumed by family members.

Friday, December 24, 2021

Wishing all a Merry Christmas!

Wishing all a Merry Christmas from Kuala Lumpur and looking forward to a better 2022!

KLCC 100ft tall Christmas tree
The tallest Christmas tree in Malaysia at KLCC Suria (100ft tall) and is covered with over
7000 colourful baubles).

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Yet Another Year of Quiet Prayers behind Closed Doors - the Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2021

Nine Emperor Gods talisman covering urn

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.
 

Sunday, April 18, 2021

Comtemplation in the Market...

A fresh seafood seller seemed to be deep in thought whilst waiting for customers to come by at Psar Chas in Siem Reap, Cambodia. This photo was taken in 2015... and with the current pandemic, I too sometimes wonder if we can ever be the same again like in pre-Covid times.

A seller at Psar Chas, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Interestingly, the word for market in Khmer is Psar... which is probably a derivative from Champa or the Malay word Pasar, which came from the Persian word Bazar. The influence of East - West trade on the word usage for market is indeed interesting.

Friday, February 12, 2021

The 'Niu' Year...

Today is he 1st day of the Lunar New Year, and even though the Year of the Metal Ox had officially started on Li Chun (Beginning of Spring - 3rd Feb in 2021), many still associate the Lunar New with the change of the animal horoscope and hence assume that the year of the Metal Ox has just begun - which is a misconception.
 
Since we are not allowed to travel about and there are no temple fairs to shoot, nor are there any open houses or lion dances happening in KL this year, I have resorted to shooting household stuff related to Chinese New Year, which resulted in this 'Niu' Year (牛 - the Ox) image that can be used as an e-greeting image. Have a Happy Chinese 'Niu' Year!

Happy Chinese New Year - Year of the Ox greeting #niuyear


Thursday, February 11, 2021

Wishing All A Healthy and Happy Chinese New Year 2021

Wishing all my readers a Happy Chinese New Year 2021. This year the lunar new year falls on 12th Feb 2021 and today being the eve of the Lunar New Year (除夕 - chú xī), it is customary for Chinese families to hold thanksgiving prayers today for their ancestors, and then followed by a family reunion dinner later in the evening before ushering in the new Lunar Year in a few hours time.

Unfortunately for us in Malaysia, this year's Chinese New Year celebration atmosphere is rather sombre as we are not allowed to travel across state or district and family reunion dinners are only allowed for family members within a 10km travel distance.

新年快乐, 身体健康, 万事如意!
Chinese New Year Lanterns and greetings - Happy Chinese New Year

In this difficult time of the Covid-19 pandemic, I would like wish everyone a good year ahead, stay safe and healthy always! Gong Xi Fa Cai!




Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Something old.. Something new - the Merdeka 118

Something new is beginning to stand up in kuala Lumpur - the Merdeka 118 tower. As of middle of this year, it is the tallest construction site in the world. When completed, it will be the world's second tallest skyscraper.

The Merdeka 118 tower under construction as seen from an old part of KL (the Zhong Shan
building in Kg. Attap).


Saturday, November 14, 2020

Happy Deepavali 2020

Happy Deepavali/Diwali to all my friends who celebrate the Festival of Lights. May this festival bring you and your family brightness, joy and prosperity!


Sunday, November 01, 2020

Streets of Kathmandu... Rugs for Sale

Looking back at the streets of Kathmandu... a Nepali rug seller with his goods hung out on display on the sidewalk of Tridevi Sadak, which is a stone's throw away from the famous Thamel district, photo taken in June 2016.

Shiva, Che Guevara and various other rugs on sale on the streets of Kathmandu in 2016
Errr.... Om Namah Shivaya Che Guevara???

Wednesday, October 07, 2020

Fire and Purification - The Nine Emperor Gods Festival


Just 10 more days to Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020 - so here's a take on what happened during the festival in 2019.
Crossing the Fire Gates (过火门) at Jinjang Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2019

Fire walking, which is associated with purification and the renewal of cosmic energy, is a common practice at Nine Emperor Gods Festival as a rite that allows devotees to be blessed and energized with the power of the divine Heaven. Seen here is a form of fire walking, called Crossing the Fire Gates (过火门), that was carried out at Jinjang Nine Emperor Gods Festival in 2019.

Next post in this countdown to Nine Emperor Gods 2020 series:

Previous post in this countdown series to Nine Emperor Gods 2020 series:

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.

月光饼

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.


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.

Nine Emperor Gods medium from Ampang temple in trance 2019
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:


Monday, September 21, 2020

Nine Emperor Gods (九皇大帝) Festival 2020 - What to Expect This Year??

The Nine Emperor Gods Festival for 2020 falls on 16 Oct 2020 (eve) till 25 Oct 2020 (ninth day). So what can we expect of this year's celebration? How different would it be from previous years' celebration? Already many Nine Emperor Gods temples in Malaysia are announcing that they will scale down and only allow prayers for this festival, sans all the procession, trances, stalls and festivities associated with this festival.

Collection of 九皇大帝 talimans from Ampang Nine Emperor Gods Temple
 
From a devotee's point of view, many are feeling a little lost as some may have vowed to stay in the temple for nine days due to prayers being answered in the previous year, of which now they cannot fulfil this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some having 'borrowed' money from the temple (ie borrowed luck or wealth from the gods) are asking will they still be able to come and repay the 'debt' this year. Will there be vegetarian food stalls open for those who usually get their vegetarian meals outside?

Whilst we are keeping our spirits high, there are still more questions than answers for this year's celebration.... but hopefully all will be better the next year.

Saturday, September 19, 2020

Let's Start With a Trip Down Memory Lane - Countdown to Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020

The Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020 is less than a month away, (27 days away to be exact) ... So let's start the countdown to this year's Nine Emperor Gods Festival by looking back at last year's pics in anticipation that this year's festival will be starkly different due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Piercing at Si Thian Kong (西天宫 九皇爷) Nine Emperor Gods festival 2019
Cucuk... (Piercing). Thai mediums at Kuala Pilah Nine Emperor Gods Temple (Si Thian Kong)
undergo piercing for the festival parade in 2019.


See also my previous post - So Near Yet So Far - A Different Nine Emperor Gods Festival for 2020 for a short clip of Jinjang Nine Emperor Gods Festival in 2019.

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Till We Meet Again - The End of the Hungry Ghost Month

As the Hungry Ghost Month for 2020 draws to a close, we bid farewell to the roadside offerings of food and joss paper, and of the taboos of the month... It was indeed a very different celebration this year under the 'New Normal', and I have only managed to see one large Phor Thor at Sunway Mentari (and even that was scaled down) when in previous years, the problem was more of trying to politely decline friends' invitation to see and shoot the Phor Thor in their area.
 
Of course the best part of a Phor Thor or large Hungry Ghost celebration, besides the prayers, food offerings and trances is the burning of the King of Hades (Da Shi Yeh) to send him and his officials off, together with all the joss paper and spirit tablets of the departed at the end of the celebration. Picture below is the Da Shi Yeh from Sunway Mentari Phor Thor catching fire as they set him alight on the last night of their celebration.

Burning of Da Shi Yeh effigy at the end of hungry ghost celebration
 
So hopefully next year thing will be back to normal, and we shall be able to attend more large Hungry Ghost Phor Thor celebrations... 

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Hungry Ghost Month Taboos...


There are many Chinese taboos associated with the Hungry Ghost month. Listed below are 13 of them and the apparent reason(s) for those taboos, as well as a lighthearted take on those reasons...

1. Don't go out at night...
You will bump into the wandering hungry ghost and either piss them off or they are attracted to you. If they are mad at you, then they will play pranks on you or sabotage what you do. If they like you, worst still.... you now have an invisible stalker. Imagine you having to make a police report that a 'hamsap' (perverted) ghost is stalking you... So no late night mamak eating trips or driving around okay...

2. Don't hang your laundry out in the open at night...
Ghost will be attracted to your laundry and stick to it, bringing negative energy to you when you wear your clothes.. Maybe it is the nice smelling laundry detergent you use or the softener?? Or maybe your laundry ain't clean enough and they have a smelly shirt/dress/underwear fetish?? 

3. Don't step or kick the offerings for the hungry ghost on the roadside...
The ghost will get angry if you disturb or kick their offerings... I guess if you go try and step on your family meal before they have eaten, or kick your friends/colleagues/parents/children dinner before they start eating or during their meal.... sure get whacked right??? So don't do it for goodness sake.

4. Do not step on the joss paper money offering on the roadside...
Stepping on their money is a sure way of pissing them off... If I see real money on the road, I will step on it and then bend down and pretend to tie my shoelaces before picking up the money, so I guess maybe the ghost thinks that you are after their moolah when you step on it.... which is bad.

5. Do not get married during the Hungry Ghost month...
They love ceremonies and parties that have candles and joss sticks and food. Also they might prank your wedding ceremony because they cannot be part of it or worst still, during the ceremony take up the same space as your partner... now you wonder which one did you marry huh, the human, the ghost or both???

6. Do not hold your wedding banquet during Hungry Ghost month....
If you had no choice and got married in the Hungry Ghost month, then for goodness sake do not hold your banquet dinner until the month is over... Why??? Food and tables and chairs and stage entertainment.... are you sure your banquet guest are all human or.... ghost???

7. No renovation during the Hungry Ghost month...
One reason is you disturb the peace and tranquility of the area and they don't like it. The other reason is if you had removed doors, windows, walls or roof, the ghosts can go in and hang about., and you are doomed if the job is done before the 7th month is over.... you sure 'sui' liao (badly jinxed) as the ghost might remain inside and you get a free 'maid' for the month.

8. No swimming especially at night during this month...
They are looking for another soul to replace their position and will pull you down to drown you. Now have you wondered if you piss when swimming or swim naked will they be scared off? Skinny dipping anyone?

9. If you are certain that you are walking alone, do not turn around or answer when someone calls your name...
Apparently humans have three 'flames' that protect one from being possessed, one on the forehead and one on each shoulder. So by quickly turning around the flames on the shoulders can be put off... At least I can tell my friends that I am a natural fire juggler.... If you need to turn around, slowly walk in a semi circle to face the other direction instead of swinging your head around. Hmmm, if I carry several fire torches, will that help??

10. Do not open an umbrella inside the house, or carry an open umbrella inside the house... 
It is believed that ghosts can and will hide under an opened umbrella to stay away from the sun (reminds me of someone who goes bleh bleh bleh; or they must be suffering from photosensitivity or are albino) and by bringing an open umbrella in or opening one inside your house, you allow them to go into the house via the umbrella. So is Rihanna referring to ghosts in her song Umbrella??? At least this proves that the umbrella is a versatile transportation device like how Mary Poppins uses it.

11. Do not stick chopsticks or eating utensils upright on rice or food not meant for the dead.... 
That is how food is offered to spirits. Then they will fight with you when you want to eat the food... see who can eat faster. Actually you don't do that all the time, not just during Hungry Ghost month. 

12. When you see seats set out in front of stages during the Hungry Ghost festival, never ever take the front row seats that are left empty for the ghosts...
Remember the Phantom of the Opera and what happened when they didn't leave Box 5 empty for him.... same thing if you try to take the front row seats. I would gladly leave the front row seats for them anyway... too near to the stage and neck pain to look up all the time at stage, plus speakers are too close and damaging to my eardrums... the best seats are somewhat in the middle, like in cinemas.

13. Never ever put a baby on the offering table at Hungry Ghost festival... or anything that you do not wish to offer to the spirits...
The spirits will think the baby is an offering item and proceed to consume it... Now how can anyone or anything eat a cute little baby??? Plus they piss and puke and shit everywhere... I imagine it wouldn't be the nicest piece of food to try and eat. I would rather go for the roast pig and chickens and ducks, won't you??


Click on these links to see my other posts about this festival in: