Penang welcomes yearly return of the Nine Emperor Gods

David ST Loh6 years ago20th Oct 2018Pictures

Nineempgods pg dloh-2731 — Taoist devotees pull a float carrying the chief mediums during the Nine Emperor Gods Festival in George Town, Penang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by David ST Loh, October 20, 2018.

THE Nine Emperor Gods Festival takes place every year on the first nine days of the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar.

The festival is observed by the Chinese Taoist community in Southeast Asia, including in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. The festival is dedicated to the nine sons of Tou Mu, the Goddess of the North Star believed to control the Books of Life and Death.

For nine days, devotees offer prayers and practice a vegetarian diet. Some devotees display their dedication with extreme acts that is not for the faint-hearted. These include walking on hot coals, rolling a heated iron ball through the streets, and ritualised self-mutilation such as skewering the cheeks with sharp objects while in a trance.

The highlight of the ceremony is a procession to the sea to send off the nine gods. A chariot sets off from the main temple in the heart of George Town and passes by several temples on the way to the waterway in Weld Quay.

Devotees dressed in the traditional white and carrying incense and candles join the grand procession, led by the faithful in a trance.

Prayers are offered in a final ceremony at Weld Quay before the gods set off home in a boat. – October 20, 2018.