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.

Li Chun 2022 - The Start of the Water Tiger Year

Li Chun (立春), which is one of the 24 solar terms in the Chinese calendar, is the day when the Sun enters 315^o longitude and marks the Beginning of Spring in the traditional Chinese calendar.

Furthermore it is also the beginning of the new Chinese horoscope year (which is the 壬寅 - Water Tiger this year) and not on the date of the Lunar New Year as many people think it is.

Li Chun usually falls on the 3rd or 4th of February in the Gregorian calendar, and whilst it can occur, it is a rare occurrence for the Lunar New Year date to coincide on the same day with Li Chun (e.g. in 2038, and 2087 the Lunar New Year date coincides with Li Chun for that year). So the Ren Yin (壬寅) Water Tiger year of 2022 actually starts today at 4.50am.

Egg Balancing on Li Chun: There is a myth that eggs can be easily balanced on the broad end on this day due to electromagnetic forces etc. coming together on this particular day. In reality it is just a myth and it has been studied that eggs can be balanced on the broader end on any day of the year. All you need to do is to make the shell have at least three contact points with a flat surface (due to the imperfections present on the shell) whilst keeping the centre of mass of the egg within the area that is defined by those three points.

 

Wishing all a Happy Water Tiger Year 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.

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!

Thaipusam 2022 - Another year of the festival under the pandemic and the pandemonium of SOPs

Amidst the last minute announcement of new SOPs by the government for the festival, which threw confusion and chaos amongst devotees as to what is allowed for the festival, Thaipusam 2022 kick-started in Kuala Lumpur last night with the silver chariot carrying the image of Lord Murugan and his consorts leaving the Sri Maha Mariammam temple in town for Batu Caves at around 10pm.

Whilst the crowd was less at the temple compared to pre-Covid times, it was still a sizeable crowd as many thronged to witness the event personally after being unable to do so last year. With restricted stoppages and less devotees offering archanais along the way, the chariot reached its destination in the wee hours of the morning today on 17 January.

Thaipusam falls on the 18th of January, and due to the last minute announcement of the rules by the government, there will be no kavadi carrying allowed at temples in Malaysia this year. However milk pots are allowed and hence it is expected the festival will be a little toned-down as compared to before the pandemic.

Happy Thaipusam 2022 to all!

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?

 

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 cooking.

Adding rice to the mixture.

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.

Happy New Year 2022

So here's a toast to 2022 and hoping for the best, despite the fact that the new year didn't quite come with a bang, but more like a slow glow of an LED lamp.

I guess we just have got to keep looking on the bright side...

To my friends and readers, the next major festival update would be Thaipusam, which falls on January 18 this year. So stay tuned!

Wishing all a Merry Christmas!

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

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

Happy Winter Solstice 2021

Today is the Winter Solstice and for Chinese people it is celebrated as as Dong Zhi (冬至), which when translated literally means Winter's Extreme as it marks the longest night of the year.

On this day, Southern Chinese families and their diaspora will usually get together and consume coloured glutinous rice balls which symbolizes reunion and a new beginning. The glutinous rice balls are also offered to ancestors and deities that are worshiped at home. On the other hand, Northern Chinese would typically consume dumplings instead as the festival food on this day.

So have a Happy Winter Solstice Festival!

Kuda Kepang - The Dance of Two Realms

Kuda kepang, a traditional Javanese dance, is also commonly performed by the Javanese diaspora in South East Asia. In Malaysia this traditional performance is kept alive in areas of Southern Johor, where a large number of people of Javanese descent resides.

Whilst this dance can be merely a performance, in its original form it often incorporates elements of trance which is said to be caused by invited spirit possession. However with the rise of Islamization in the region, the trance portion is often left out as it is deemed un-Islamic. Hence to witness a kuda kepang performance incorporating the trance element here in Malaysia is very much a novelty and a treat.

We were lucky in KL that last night, Pusaka in collaboration with Seni Lab and 33.3studio brought Kumpulan Kuda Kepang Parit Raja Johor to Black Box, Publika in an exciting and eclectic traditional kuda kepang performance with light show and music called Cahaya 004 - Kitab Basah, and yes it was with trance as well.

The moment the dancers goes into trance, their movements seemed to take on an unearthly vibe and exudes that sublime other realm feel to the performance. It is as if something from the other side touched the entire performance and everyone in it, and for that short time, the two realms, physical and the unseen, were connected through the dancers and their movements.

It was an enthralling and a different experience that cannot be adequately described in words or by photos, and is definitely a performance that everyone should at least experience once in their lifetime for themselves.

Of Lights and Water... the Loy Krathong Festival

The Loy Krathong festival, which falls on Friday this year (19 November 2021) is one of the most picturesque festivals that is celebrated in Thailand and also by the larger Thai communities in other countries including those in certain areas of Malaysia.

This festival has its roots as a Brahminical festival to honour the Goddess Ganga (Phra Mae Khongkha - พระแม่คงคา), and is celebrated on the full moon night of the twelfth month of the Thai calendar, which usually falls within the month of November in the Gregorian calendar.

The festival also coincide with the Lanna (Northern Thailand) festival of Yi Peng, where they release sky lanterns (basically identical to the Chinese Kung Ming lantern), and is now celebrated as one amalgamated festival in Northern Thailand.

Whilst Thailand is celebrating the festival on a big scale as they have started to reopen to tourist post Covid-19 pandemic, the same can't be said for Malaysia; where it would not be publicly celebrated by the Thai communities in Klang Valley and in Penang this year due to concerns of the pandemic.

So in this post are a few pictures from the festival in Penang (at Gurney Drive) taken in 2014, and hoping that the festival will make a comeback here in Malaysia next year. Happy Loy Krathong!

Flower Power... Krathong with lovely flowers

Lighting up the krathongs...

Say a little prayer for you...

Let it go, let it go...

The North Star Deity (北斗星君) arrives at Sekinchan Nine Emperor Gods Temple

As part of the series of ceremonies and divine invitations that occur during the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, the Nan Tian Gong Nine Emperor Gods temple of Sekinchan (适耕庄南天宫九皇大帝) invited the North Star deity (北斗星君) yesterday on the 5th day of the festival.

Whilst the South Star deity (南斗星君) is believed to be in charge of matters regarding your well-being and living quality in this life, the North Star deity is in charge of the death (ie. lifespan) of a person, and therefore prayers are often offered to the North Star deity to prolong one's lifespan.

 

The invitation ceremony of the North Star deity carried out by Sekinchan Nine Emperor Gods temple yesterday was somewhat similar to the South Star deity invitation ceremony on the 2nd day of the festival (click to read in new tab), with the exception that it was more festive this time around, having a pair of lions performing the lion dance and escorted the entourage for the invite, plus we headed north of the temple this time to a spot located somewhere in the agricultural fields for the invitation. Also, as the site was quite close by, the temple entourage walked to the site which took us about 10 mins to get there.

The schedule of invitation ceremonies at Sekinchan are as follows:

• 5th Oct 2021 (eve of festival) 10.15pm - Invitation of the Nine Emperor Gods
• 7th Oct 2021 (2nd day) 10.15pm - Invitation of the South Star Deity
• 10th Oct 2021 (5th day) 10.15pm - Invitation of the North Star Deity
• 12th Oct 2021 (7th day) 8.45pm - Invitation of Jade Emperor
• 13th Oct 2021 (8th day) 10.15pm - Invitation of Dou Mu

 

Sekinchan Nine Emperor Gods Festival - Invitation Ceremony for the South Star Deity on Day 2

On the night of the 2nd day of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, the Sekinchan Nine Emperor Gods temple (适耕庄南天宫九皇大帝) invited the South Star deity (南斗星君) back to their temple. Even though it was a simple ceremony without any elaborate procession or fanfare, one can sense the intense religious fervor that pervaded the ceremony emanating from the temple members and mediums in trance who were tasked with carrying it out.

The ceremony starts (as usual) with the mediums going into trance to the beat of the gongs and hand drums. This is then followed by the royal parasol, the sedan chairs and the temple entourage leaving for a selected location to do the invitation.

Upon return back to the temple, the entourage were greeted with lit firecrackers and the sedan chairs were then paraded around the temple altar table whilst being rocked hard before being placed back to their respective places in the temple after the deities on board have been let in into the temple's inner chamber. After that mediums who are still in trance attended to the various needs of the devotees.

This year, the Sekinchan Nine Emperor Gods temple is one of the few Nine Emperor Gods temple in Klang Valley whose prayers and ceremonies are open to the public whom have been fully vaccinated, and I believe it is also the only one in Klang Valley that did raise the lantern flagpole for this year's Nine Emperor Gods Festival which is accessible to the public at large.

See the next post about the North Star Deity (北斗星君) invite at Sekinchan Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2021

Ampang Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2021... A Celebration Behind Closed Doors

Today is the second day of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, and as expected, it was quiet but still smoky at Ampang Nine Emperor Gods temple. Other than the numerous dragon joss-sticks burning away inside the temple grounds, it actually feels more like a non-celebration, being rather calm and without the usual endless stream of devotees coming and going throughout the day.

• Previous post - A Low Key Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2021 for Ampang

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)

• Next post - Ampang Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2021... A Celebration Behind Closed Doors
  
• Previous post - Yet Another Year of Quiet Prayers behind Closed Doors - the Nine Emperor Gods Festival 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.

 

• Next post - A Low Key Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2021 for Ampang 

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival 2021

It is again the Mid-Autumn Festival or better known as the Mooncake Festival. The mooncake shown here is a type of mooncake known as 公仔饼 (doll biscuit) or 猪笼饼 (pig basket biscuit). Traditionally, this biscuit is placed unwrapped in miniature bamboo and later plastic baskets that resembles the cages that pigs were transported in (hence piggy biscuit). Nowadays as to comply with food hygiene requirements, they are individually wrapped in plastic wrapper before being stuffed into the plastic cage.

 

 

This type of mooncake biscuit is basically made with the dough for the skin of the traditional (Cantonese style) mooncakes, and is a good way to utilise all the excess dough instead of letting them go to waste. In the past, they are moulded into various shapes including a simple, elongated oval shape, as long as they can fit into the 'cage'. Nowadays they are almost always moulded to look like a cute miniature pig.

Traditionally, they are solid, with no filling whatsoever as the purpose of this mooncake was to make use of the excess dough; plus it also doubles up as a cheap gift for customers who bought a lot of expensive mooncakes. Nowadays, mooncake makers do make them with simple filling like lotus paste or red bean paste.

Even though it isn't as popular as other types of mooncakes, nevertheless the sight of these piggy biscuit mooncakes always reminded me of the way  the Mooncake Festival was celebrated when I was young.

 

Another year of quiet Hungry Ghost Festival

As the Hungry Ghost Festival this year comes to a close, it has been another year of low key celebrations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

No large makeshift altars were allowed here this year. Instead, people are only allowed to do prayers in temples and also private offerings outside their homes.

 

And as we reminisce upon the festive celebrations of previous years, we hope that perhaps next year we will start to see some of these traditional festivities return to normal.

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.

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.