the nine emperor gods festival...

...or kow wong yeh (九皇爺) is a chinese festival that celebrates the return from heaven to earth of the nine emperor spirits, who are worshiped as one deity known as mazu, the taoist goddess of the sea and queen of heaven who represents health, wealth and prosperity. taoism is the ancient indigenous religion of china, its ideas first propagated and written down by zhou dynasty philosopher, laozhi, 2500 years ago. taoism gave the world concepts of ying and yang, and taoists believe in the importance of harmony between people, and between human and nature. an extensive pantheon of gods and demigods exists in taoism. the nine emperor gods are part of a sect known as jieu hwang yeh. on the eve of the ninth moon, temples of the deities hold a ceremony to invoke and welcome the nine emperors. devotees dressed in traditional white, carrying incense and candles, await the arrival of their excellencies. a carnival-like atmosphere pervades the temple throughout the nine-day festival. during this time, the constant tinkling of a prayer bell and chants from the temple priests are heard. most devotees stay at the temple, eat vegetarian meals and recite continuous chanting of prayer. andrew and i dropped by the nine emperor gods temple in KL for the closing ceremony, in which a group of devotees, after fasting the day, walked over burning coals, some carrying miniature idols, banners or bags (of rice i assume). of the thousands who flocked to the temple, we seemed to be the only foreigners in attendance, earning us many polite smiles. although we weren't able to understand much of what was going on (w/out a translator) we were able to participate in one of the major rituals: the lighting of joss sticks. because of our elevated stature, we were particularly susceptive to smoke in the eyes (from the countless sticks raised into the air around us). all in all, a distinctly eastern experience//

( andrew snapped this one )