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!
Saturday, November 14, 2020
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.
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| Errr.... Om Namah Shivaya Che Guevara??? |
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 16, 2020
A Smoky but Silent Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020 at Ampang
Today is the eve of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020, and I decided to pass by Ampang Nine Emperor Gods temple at 5pm to see how things were going. The gates were locked and as you can see from the pictures, it was a silent affair due to the lock-down imposed by the government recently.
Despite being quiet and very unbecoming of the festival we know of, it was still smoky, as the temple caretakers had already lit the large joss sticks that had been ordered by devotees prior to the lock-down.
A truly different take on the festival this year, smoky.... but silent!
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
No Go for Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2020 in Ampang and KL
Despite not planning to hold the usual festivities associated with Nine Emperor God Festival this year at Ampang Nine Emperor Gods temple (安邦南天宫九皇爷庙) due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, they were all set up and ready for the coming festival to be celebrated in a simple manner, with areas for devotees to queue and orderly enter and exit the temple already drawn up according to the government required SOP. Even the huge dragon joss-sticks for the festival were ready and on display at the temple grounds since last weekend.
Alas, it looks like all Nine Emperor Gods temples in the whole Klang Valley area will fall silent this year, and devotees would not be able to celebrate the coming festival due to the recently announced CMCO (Conditional Movement Control Order) for Klang Valley starting October 14th by the government, which prohibits religious centers from operating at all and thus making the festival a no-go.
The decision on the CMCO for Klang Valley came quite suddenly, and temples in Klang Valley were caught off guard; for whilst most were not planning to hold large scale celebrations, nevertheless the majority of them were in the midst of prepping up their temples for low key prayers (like in Ampang) for devotees that still want to come in and pray during this festival. At Ampang Nan Tian Gong temple today, it was pretty heartbreaking to have witnessed the temple staff having to take down the colourful flags put up for the festival just days before the start of the festival.
Inside the temple, it was eerily quiet and quite obvious that the staff were not in high spirits, plus the inner hall was devoid of the usual donations of rice, cooking oil and other foodstuff that usually would have flooded the temple by this time of the year.
Perhaps this year is a good time to celebrate the festival in a calm and self-reflective mood, all thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.
UPDATE: Apparently places of worship are now allowed to open with max 6 people inside their premises during the CMCO. However I do not foresee this changing the decision already taken by the temples to closing their doors to devotees.
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:
Wednesday, October 07, 2020
Fire and Purification - The Nine Emperor Gods Festival
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:
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:
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
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.
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.
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.
- 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
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.
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| Cucuk... (Piercing). Thai mediums at Kuala Pilah Nine Emperor Gods Temple (Si Thian Kong) undergo piercing for the festival parade in 2019. |
Next post in this countdown series - Nine Emperor Gods (九皇大帝) Festival 2020 - What to Expect This Year??
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.
Thursday, September 17, 2020
So Near Yet So Far - A Different Nine Emperor Gods Festival for 2020
Yes, it is only 30 more days before the Nine Emperor Gods Festivals 2020. Yet, this year the Nine Emperor Gods Festival will be different no doubt; as ever since the COVID-19 pandemic raged through the world, everything was different due to social distancing and crowd restrictions rules being imposed by governments.
In Malaysia, some temples have decided to scale down this year's celebration due to concerns of crowd control, whilst some are taking the more drastic decision to cancel the celebrations altogether. For the time being, all we can do is to look back at happier times and hope next year it will be back to normal...
So here's a short clip of scenes from Jinjang Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2019 for us to look back on and to keep us in high spirits as we count down to this year's Nine Emperor Gods celebration... with a difference!
When is this festival happening in 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
Invitation ceremonies related to this festival usually happens in the evening or on the night of the eve of the festival, which is Friday, 16th October 2020.
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.
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, September 15, 2020
The Final Prayer - Hungry Ghost Festival 2020
These are the scenes of the final prayer session for the Sunway Mentari Hungry Ghost Festival, before sending the King of Hades (Da Shi Yeh) and his retinue off in a big bonfire. Whenever a large Phor Thor (Hungry Ghost) celebration is conducted ie with the King of Hades, his retinue and the various paper effigies, this prayer is always done at the end of the celebration and depending on the priest and how elaborate the procedure is, can take up to two or three hours before it is completed and the paper effigies and joss paper can then be dispatched in a big bonfire.
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| It is all about food... and it's finger licking good too... |
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| Money makes the world go round - Joss money and 'daily necessities' for the hungry ghost. |
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| It is in the hands - The priest performing ritual to feed the hungry ghost... |
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| Tossing joss paper money for the spirits ... |
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| Moving the Da Shi Yeh (King of Hades) effigy and his retinue to be burnt at the end of the ceremony. |
The focus of this final prayers before the the send-off is all about feeding the wandering spirits, ensuring they have food, joss money and whatever they need in their realm, and then asking all of them to take leave, including the King of Hades and his retinue, plus all of the ancestor spirits that has benefited from this celebration.
Monday, September 07, 2020
Faces of Hungry Ghost Festival - the Taoist Priest
Featured here is a Taoist priest conducting a prayer at a Hungry Ghost Festival in Malaysia, whereby food and even coins on the altar are distributed and tossed to the devotees after being offered to the spirits. And no, he didn't throw the pineapple, but merely passed it to one of the devotees standing nearby. I was hoping he would...
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| Taoist priest on the altar performing prayers to feed the hungry ghost during Ghost Month Celebration at Sunway Mentari. |
In some Cantonese speaking areas, Taoist priest are sometimes called Nam Mo Lou
(喃嘸佬 - Jyut Ping: Naam4 Mou4 Lou2). This is a colloquial term used for a Taoist priest, especially one who performs prayers for the salvation of the deceased or spirits. The term is in fact incorrect as the origin of the phrase Nam Mo is a term from Buddhist text (Na Mo - meaning homage to}, whereas those priest are Taoist. However in many Asian and South East Asian countries, they are colloquially being referred to as such despite being a misnomer (and also disrespectful) for their profession.
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