A photoblog of stories, events, culture and travel. Let the images tell you what I see.
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
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.
- 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
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.
Monday, September 21, 2020
Nine Emperor Gods (九皇大帝) Festival 2020 - What to Expect This Year??
- If you are unsure of what is this Nine Emperor Gods Festival all about, read my next post - Nine Emperor Gods Festival - All About The What, Who, Why, When and Where of this Festival
- See also my previous post - Let's Start With a Trip Down Memory Lane - Countdown to Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020
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
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Till We Meet Again - The End of the Hungry Ghost Month
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
The Final Prayer - Hungry Ghost Festival 2020
Monday, September 07, 2020
Faces of Hungry Ghost Festival - the Taoist Priest
Taoist priest on the altar performing prayers to feed the hungry ghost during Ghost Month Celebration at Sunway Mentari. |
Saturday, September 05, 2020
Women of Nepal
Tuesday, September 01, 2020
You Are Looking for Me??? - the King of Hades (大士爷) Effigy
(You are looking for me??? I am coming....)
This year, it is very hard to find large scale Hungry Ghost celebrations (also known as Phor Thor) in Malaysia due to the Covid-19 pandemic as we are still in the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) imposed by the government.
To be able to find a King of Hades or Da Shi Yeh (大士爷) effigy to photograph is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Luckily a friend informed me that at Sunway Mentari they will be holding their Hungry Ghost Festival as usual albeit in a small scale, complete with the King of Hades paper effigy.
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...
Click on these links to see my other posts about this festival in: