First Encounter with the Nine Emperor Gods Festival
- Trip And Zip
- Oct 17, 2012
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 15
A few days ago, I had the opportunity to attend, for the first time, a major Chinese festival celebrated in Malaysia. Despite my usual interest in European history and traditions, I discovered something truly remarkable.
Some might say it’s the initial excitement of experiencing something new, and they may be right—after all, I have no prior comparisons. Nevertheless, it’s hard to fully capture the vivid memories the day after. My visit to the "Nine Emperor Gods Festival" will stand as the starting point of my journey into discovering the deep cultural traditions and beliefs of the Asian world around me.
As I learned more about the festival, I found out it’s celebrated by a large number of devotees from the first to the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, particularly in Southeast Asian countries. It’s a Taoist ceremony where people pray for blessings and seek to ward off misfortune and bad luck. What stood out to me was the strong belief that deities are present in the temple during the first few days of the festival, and they convey messages through devotees who enter a state of trance. Rituals like fire walking and dipping hands into boiling oil are common practices.
I’m still relatively "young" in my understanding of Asia, and I can’t fully grasp or explain the complete significance of these ceremonies. I was just a passive observer—an outsider, wide-eyed and silent, amazed by the sights and colors around me.
Although I can’t offer in-depth commentary or explanation, I distinctly remember the surreal feeling of being in a place where everyone truly believed the gods were present. The expressions on people's faces reflected this deep belief, and the rituals, the colors—they left me in a dizzying state. Yellow, yellow, yellow… smoke, yellow, bells… smoke… yellow… smoke. And let’s not forget the grand Chinese opera troupe performing on a nearby stage!
Comments