October 1, 2011 at 2:00 pm
Most Westerners might consider it superstition, but Malaysia has many beliefs that people still cling to. And some of these beliefs are marked by festivals and cultural celebrations, which in turn, are one of the main attractions of the country. Ironic, but true.
One such festival is the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, which takes place during the first nine days of the ninth Chinese lunar month every year. A local daily dedicated a column to the festival, as is customary, along with the usual background on the event. Locals have several beliefs about the deities and the festival, which could be regarded as superstition. The most interesting one would be that it will often rain during the nine days of the festival, and also usually on the day before. The belief is that the deities, who are said to spend their entire time at sea with the exception of these nine days, bring the rain and cleanse the area for their arrival.
Devotees offering their prayers during the Nine Emperor Gods Festival
This makes for interesting folklore but it does help that the festival takes place during the rainy monsoon season. But no matter what the real reason, let us all hope that the festival, rain or shine, continues on for the foreseeable future.
Read the full article below:
The various Nine Emperor Gods temples in Penang are all geared up for the annual nine-day festival which starts Tuesday.
They will be ushering in the gods at nearby rivers or the sea tonight.
A check at several temples showed that their committees have arranged for numerous activities throughout the nine days, including float processions.
Macallum Street Tow Boo Kong Temple adviser Ong Hock Chuan said the temple had been preparing for the festival for the past two weeks.
“We started work on the float since last week to make sure that there will be smooth progress during our procession, when the devotees send off the gods at sea.
“We are expecting about 10,000 devotees to turn up for the event on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, which is on Oct 5,” he said.
Burma Road Tao Bo Kong Temple committee member Lim Eng Hoe said the temple was organising ceremonial prayers on the second, fifth and eighth days of the ninth lunar month.
“Buddhists monks will lead devotees in the prayers to seek blessings from the nine gods,” he said.
In Raja Uda, Butterworth, Tow Boo Kong Temple chairman Khor Wan Tat said they were expecting at least 10,000 devotees for their float procession to be held on the fifth day of the Chinese lunar month, which falls on Oct 1.
“We have been preparing for this for two months. Devotees can expect more than 10 floats carrying the statues of Nine Emperor Gods and Tou Mu,” he said.
The Nine Emperor Gods are believed to be the nine sons of Tou Mu, the Goddess of the North Star.
During the Taoist festival, devotees will observe a strict vegetarian diet for some or all of the nine days.
Many will begin observing the vegetarian diet from today to cleanse and purify their bodies.
Source: The Star
Photo (c) kevinpoh
Rain and the Nine Emperor Gods
October 1, 2011 at 2:00 pm
Most Westerners might consider it superstition, but Malaysia has many beliefs that people still cling to. And some of these beliefs are marked by festivals and cultural celebrations, which in turn, are one of the main attractions of the country. Ironic, but true.
One such festival is the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, which takes place during the first nine days of the ninth Chinese lunar month every year. A local daily dedicated a column to the festival, as is customary, along with the usual background on the event. Locals have several beliefs about the deities and the festival, which could be regarded as superstition. The most interesting one would be that it will often rain during the nine days of the festival, and also usually on the day before. The belief is that the deities, who are said to spend their entire time at sea with the exception of these nine days, bring the rain and cleanse the area for their arrival.
Devotees offering their prayers during the Nine Emperor Gods Festival
This makes for interesting folklore but it does help that the festival takes place during the rainy monsoon season. But no matter what the real reason, let us all hope that the festival, rain or shine, continues on for the foreseeable future.
Read the full article below:
The various Nine Emperor Gods temples in Penang are all geared up for the annual nine-day festival which starts Tuesday.
They will be ushering in the gods at nearby rivers or the sea tonight.
A check at several temples showed that their committees have arranged for numerous activities throughout the nine days, including float processions.
Macallum Street Tow Boo Kong Temple adviser Ong Hock Chuan said the temple had been preparing for the festival for the past two weeks.
“We started work on the float since last week to make sure that there will be smooth progress during our procession, when the devotees send off the gods at sea.
“We are expecting about 10,000 devotees to turn up for the event on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, which is on Oct 5,” he said.
Burma Road Tao Bo Kong Temple committee member Lim Eng Hoe said the temple was organising ceremonial prayers on the second, fifth and eighth days of the ninth lunar month.
“Buddhists monks will lead devotees in the prayers to seek blessings from the nine gods,” he said.
In Raja Uda, Butterworth, Tow Boo Kong Temple chairman Khor Wan Tat said they were expecting at least 10,000 devotees for their float procession to be held on the fifth day of the Chinese lunar month, which falls on Oct 1.
“We have been preparing for this for two months. Devotees can expect more than 10 floats carrying the statues of Nine Emperor Gods and Tou Mu,” he said.
The Nine Emperor Gods are believed to be the nine sons of Tou Mu, the Goddess of the North Star.
During the Taoist festival, devotees will observe a strict vegetarian diet for some or all of the nine days.
Many will begin observing the vegetarian diet from today to cleanse and purify their bodies.
Source: The Star
Photo (c) kevinpoh
Tags: Nine Emperor Gods Festival, penang, Religious Events, Tow Boo Kong Temple