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Nine Emperor Gods Festival

The Nine Emperor Gods Festival ran from 3-11 October this year, corresponding to the 1^st to the 9^th day of the 9^th lunar month of the Chinese calendar.

Once mainly observed by Teochew and Hokkien people, it has spread to other Chinese dialect groups in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar. 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 follow a vegetarian diet. Some show their dedication with extreme acts like walking on burning charcoal, seating on nailed chairs and impaling and skewering their cheeks and face with a spear, sword or other objects while in a trance.

Origin of the Festival

The origin can be traced to the Han Dynasty during the development of Daoism. When Fujian and Guangdong were incorporated into the Chinese Empire during the Qin and Han Dynasties, their indigenous cultures melded with that of the Northern Daoist Han peoples, resulting in a rich spiritual and gastronomic heritage seen in southern China today. Further spiritual and cultural diffusion resulted when the Hokkien and Cantonese people from Fujian and Guangdong migrated to Southeast Asia and other parts of the world, carrying with them the heritage of reverence for the Nine Emperor Gods.

In Southeast Asia, this heritage became especially popular in Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar and Thailand. In Malaysia, there are over 50 temples dedicated to the Nine Emperor Gods, with an annual celebration of the Festival. Many of these temples bear the name Nan Tian Gong (南天宫; Palace of the Southern Sky), eg Nan Tian Gong Temple in Sekinchan, Selangor, and some with a slight variation (eg Xi Tian Gong (西天宫 Palace of the Western Sky in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan; see below for info), which is one of the largest Daoist temples around.

How Ampang became an important venue of the festival

In Malaysia, the Nan Tian Gong Temple in Ampang New Village is one of the more popular centes of the festival. The mythology originates from the Hong Secret Society formed to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty. A Hong member named Wan Yunlong was killed in battle. On the ninth day of the ninth month in 1783, his followers fled to Thailand, from where, after being rebuffed by the Thai authorities, they moved south to Penang. Some Hong members settled in Ampang where they worked as planters and farmers and organized a clandestine movement to overthrow the Qing.

Procession to invite the Nine Emperor Gods

Since the arrival of the gods is believed to be through the waterways, on the eve of the Ninth Lunar Month (2 October 2024), a large procession goes to the river near Ampang Village where the Daoist priest invokes and invites the Nine Emperor Gods spirits to descend into the urn carried in a sedan chair. When the ashes in the urn burn vigorously, it is an indication that the gods have arrived. The urn is then carried back to the temple and kept from public view.

Modes of celebration

On the eve of the ninth moon, a ceremony is held to welcome the Nine Emperor Gods to the Nan Tian Gong (南天宫) Temple in Ampang.
A carnival atmosphere fills the air throughout the festival, with the constant tinkling of prayer bells and chants from the temple priests.
The temple remains open for devotees to pay respects and seek blessings at all hours.
Most devotees stay at the temple’s dormitory, follow a vegetarian diet, meditate, study scriptures, maintain celibacy and continuously recite prayers. They wear white as a symbol of purity.
Many hawkers and vendors set up stalls within and outside the Temple grounds selling food, prayer goods, handicrafts and children’s games and toys.
These rituals act as a channel between humans and celestial beings for the salvation and protection of mankind. Rain is also common throughout the nine days of the celebration.
The festival culminates on the ninth day with more ceremonies and a fire-walking ritual. A large procession of devotees will then send the deities back home in the early hours of the tenth day.

In Daoist temples, qiu qian (求籤; Cantonese kau chim) is the practice of drawing a fortune or divination stick (qian; 籤) by shaking a container while praying, to ask for answers to specific questions. The numbered stick that falls out is then matched to a fortune or oracle listed in the temple’s fortune book and the priest or his assistant proceeds to explain or interpret the fortune to the devotee. The practice is a spiritual and personal ritual to seek guidance in decision-making or comfort in times of uncertainty or difficulty.

It is customary for devotees to make a donation to the gods/temple at the numerous donation counters set up around the temple grounds. In return, they receive a talisman as token of appreciation for their kindness and generosity.

Devotees making a donation to the gods/temple at one of the many donation counters on the temple grounds. In return, they receive a talisman as token of appreciation for their kindness and generosity. (KAP)

Other Significant Nine Emperor Gods Temples

As a sign of their growing faith, devotees and followers in Malaysia have succeeded in establishing and extending temples in the name of the Nine Emperor Gods. We highlight two of these in Kuala Pilah and Sekinchan.

Xi Tian Gong Temple in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan is rapidly growing in reputation as a spiritual pillar for Daoist worshippers in the neighbourhood and from as far as Penang and Singapore during the ninth lunar month. The Nine Emperor Gods are the main deity in this temple.

Nan Tian Gong Temple in Sekinchan, Selangor is the leading Chinese temple, and the celebration of the birthdays of the Nine Emperor Gods (九皇爷) is its most important religious festival. Established in 1984, the Temple is located in the middle of a padi field.

The main industries of Sekinchan, farming and fishing, are highly dependent on the weather, and the people demonstrated their gratitude to the deities of the Temple for answering their prayers for calm seas and bountiful harvests by gradually extending the Temple over a span of 40 years to its present impressive size.

HELP students visit the Nan Tian Gong Temple for the Climax of the Festival

MPL took a group of students from HELP University to Ampang New Village to witness the prayer rituals and the closing ceremonies on the last day of the festival. It was a fulfilling sensory experience.

All around us were stalls selling food, snacks, handicrafts and games – most of them familiar to us, but as we did the rounds, we chanced upon some rare products.

Within the temple grounds, only vegetarian food is sold and consumed.

A tour of the stalls

A rare item in shops, dragon beard candy (龍鬚糖 (long su tang) is a traditional Chinese candy made from sugar and maltose syrup, with a fine, thread-like texture usually with a filling of crushed peanuts, sesame seeds or coconut. Originating in the Han dynasty, it is also a popular street food during festivals in China and Taiwan.

Dough dolls (mianren面人) are traditional Chinese dough figurines of animals, people or mythical creatures, usually handcrafted from wheat flour dough, popular as decorative pieces or offerings during festivals or special occasions. Especially popular in northern China, it is a form of folk art passed down through generations. For RM3, you could spin the wheel at top right to win any number of dolls.

Ting ting candy (aka gula ketuk) was another rare item we found. It is a traditional Chinese hard candy enjoyed for generations in Malaysia. Ting ting comes from the metallic sound when the candy is chipped into strips or shards with a hammer and chisel. It is made from caramelising sugar; ginger or malt can be added to enhance the flavour. Traditionally it was peddled by vendors on bicycles around neighbourhoods. Another whiff of nostalgia from the festival stalls.

Firewalking – the highlight of the Festival

The fire-walking ceremony is held on the evening of the ninth day of the celebration. Led by Daoist priests, the devotees walk barefoot across the pit, carrying the temple deities and other ritual paraphernalia, as well as bundles of garments, dried tea leaves, and other precious objects that will benefit from the uplifting power of the act.

Participants must be ritually clean, having abstained from sex and followed a vegetarian diet for the preceding nine days. Most participants in the fire-walking ceremony perform the ritual to guoyun (過運), to cross over ill-luck and usher in good luck.

Finale – the send-off

After the fire-walking rituals, the gods are given a ceremonial send-off. They are accompanied by a large procession comprising a priest, lion dancers, scores of worshippers, and devotees playing drums, cymbals and gongs, all heading to the river. The boat shown above will be used to ferry temple committee members carrying the flaming urn to the middle of the river for the symbolic departure of the gods.

Summing up

Every year, for nine days, the Festival is an opportunity for devotees and worshippers to reaffirm their faith in the power of prayer, obeisance and ritual to bring positivity to their lives and to the community.

It is a time for communities old and new to come together in self-purification, abstinence and mental discipline, for spiritual upliftment and renewal and for social cohesion.
It is an integral part of the intangible cultural heritage of the Chinese in Southeast Asia deeply rooted in the traditions of the Chinese community.
In Thailand it is called the Vegetarian Festival, and Phuket is the biggest centre of celebration. High-end hotels and restaurants in Bangkok and Chiangmai would also offer extensive vegetarian menus.
In Malaysia, the Ampang celebrations may be the oldest, but the largest celebrations are to be found in Penang, where the rituals and the long processions are a top draw for local and foreign tourists.

Sources: Tripadvisor; Keith and Agnes Photoworks (KAP); Tsem Rinpoche website; Malay Mail Online; The Star; New Straits Times; National Heritage Board, Singapore; cilisos.my; visit-sekinchan.com; Wikipedia