Nine Emperor God Festival 2003

oeyvind · 28th September 2003

Beginning 9/26, the Nan Tian Gong temple in the little Ampang Jaya New Village in Malaysia, becomes the place where tens of thousands of Taoists of ethnic Chinese descent converge for the celebration of the nine-day Nine Emperor God Festival.

Lucky red turtles... to offer the deities

Chinese opera to entertain the deities and devotees

Devotees making their offering...

A vendor selling roasted chestnut on the temple ground.

oeyvind · 28th September 2003

Updated with more photos and captions... ^^

tomshen · 28th September 2003

Nice pictures, Tim. A bit more background introduction would be even better.

oeyvind · 28th September 2003

Originally Posted by tomshen

Nice pictures, Tim. A bit more background introduction would be even better.

Thanks... more info on Nine Emperor God, do a search on Google... ^^

A good one, see this article: A visit from the Emperor God

oeyvind · 29th September 2003

Tom et al.

Some background on the festival... from a photo db site

Quote:

MALAYSIA--Nine Emperor God Festival
The Festival of the Nine Emperor Gods falls on the ninth day of the ninth moon in the Chinese lunar calendar. Devotees flock to the temples throughout the country for this religious festival.

The Nine Emperor Gods are part of a spirit-medium cult known locally as ‘Jieu Hwang Yeh’. These Nine Deities are believed to dwell in the stars in heaven under the reign of ‘Thien Hou’ - the Queen of Heaven.

On the eve of the ninth moon, temples of the Deities hold a ceremony to invoke and welcome the ‘Jien Hwang Yeh’. Since the arrival of the Nine Emperor Gods is believed to be through the waterways, processions are held from temples to the sea-shore or river to symbolise this belief. Devotees dressed in traditional white, carrying joss-sticks and candles, await the arrival of their “Excellencies”.

A carnival-like atmosphere pervades the temple throughout the nine-day festival. During this period of time, the constant tinkling of a prayer bell and chants from the temple priests are heard. Most devotees stay at the temple, take vegetarian meals and recite continuous chanting of prayer.

A procession to send the Nine Emperor Gods home then takes place to complete the rites of this religious festival.

Here's a better article on the event...

http://metro.thestar.com.my/news/2003/9/6351906.html

tomshen · 29th September 2003

Thanks Tim

Zerstorer · 1st October 2003

Excellent series! Shows great promise as a photo story.

Did you manage to capture any shots of the devotees trying to "transport" the 9 Emperor Deities back to the shrine?

28th September 2003	#1
oeyvind Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3,556	Nine Emperor God Festival 2003 Beginning 9/26, the Nan Tian Gong temple in the little Ampang Jaya New Village in Malaysia, becomes the place where tens of thousands of Taoists of ethnic Chinese descent converge for the celebration of the nine-day Nine Emperor God Festival. Lucky red turtles... to offer the deities Chinese opera to entertain the deities and devotees Devotees making their offering... A vendor selling roasted chestnut on the temple ground. __________________ flickr Last edited by oeyvind; 28th September 2003 at 03:23 PM.

28th September 2003	#2
oeyvind Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3,556	Updated with more photos and captions... ^^ __________________ flickr

28th September 2003	#3
tomshen Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3,719	Nice pictures, Tim. A bit more background introduction would be even better. __________________ Visit http://www.tomshenstudio.com

29th September 2003	#6
tomshen Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3,719	Thanks Tim __________________ Visit http://www.tomshenstudio.com

1st October 2003	#7
Zerstorer Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 3,610	Excellent series! Shows great promise as a photo story. Did you manage to capture any shots of the devotees trying to "transport" the 9 Emperor Deities back to the shrine?