Penang 9 Emperor Gods Festival

Every year Chinese Lunar Calender month nine day 1 to day 9, Penang going to have an important festival that most Penangites engaged, celebrated and followed. These 9 days, many devotees will go on vegetarian diet. There are many vegetarian stalls along the streets that served the devotees.

Each year there were many floats, all richly decorated and full of colored lights, which slowly moved through the streets of Georgetown’s historic center to finally reach the Weld Quay on the eastern waterfront of the town (in the photo above one of the floats).

Together with the floats a number of devotees processed along: some in a state of trance, some whipping the air with weaved whips, some with very long spears stuck into their cheeks. All around firecrackers, drums, singers, dragons and an immense crowd revering the procession. At the end, the procession arrived at the waterfront and in a surge of energy and loud noises the devotees were removed the spears and floats were sent off in the water.

Posted in: festival,The Nine Emperor Gods,九皇大帝,九皇爺