This is the latest happening in Penang.
Bring along your kids and I am sure they will like it.
It is located in mainland, JURU - Auto City.
About 15 minutes drive after Penang Bridge exit.
It will be one of the stop along North-South Highway.
More photos in the next posting…
Today marks the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai which usually fall in Jan or Feb. Pusam means the star is at its highest point during the festival. This day, the Indian community of the Hindu faith celebrates the birthday of Lord Murugan with a test of faith.
Usually, prior to the celebration, devotees will cleanse themselves by fasting and also prayer. On the day of the festival, devotees will undertake a pilgrimage along a route with a various types of burden known as kavadi.
The simplest form of kavadi comes in the form of carrying a pot of milk on top of the devotees’ heads. There are also a more ‘daring’ acts of flesh mortification which is even more daring than any acts you can find in the popular Fear Factor program on tv. It includes acts like piercing the skin, tougue, cheeks with vel skewers. There also also those who carry a portable altar up to two meters tall which is usually beautifully decorated with peacock feathers. The altar is attached to the devotees through vels which are pierced into the skin of the chest and back of the devotees.
It’s believed that at the point of time when the devotees are carrying the kavadi, they are in some sort of trance which they do not feel any pain from the piercing and you’ll notice that one don’t bleed at the wound where the vel is pierced. And miraculously after the festival, no scar is left behind by the vel at all. It is said that it’s the faith in Lord Murugan that void off all the pain from the piercing.
In Penang, Thaipusam is celebrated at the Hindu Temple near the Waterfall Garden. Devotees will throng the temple surroundings starting at about a week before the height of the festival. You’ll also get to see a lot of kolam which are paintings painted on the roads along the temple vicinity.
Besides the Hindus, some of the Chinese community in Penang will also take part in the celebration by offering coconuts, bananas, flowers & Indian joss-sticks. A lot will also break coconuts along the route of the procession as a sign of gratitude to Lord Murugan for the safe health they had the previous year. You should witness this annual event when you are in Penang because it’s one of the most breathtaking festival you can find here in Penang.
Penang, Hindu, Thaipusam, Kavadi, Waterfall Garden, Lord Murugan
The 9th day of the New Year in the Chinese Lunar calendar marks the day where the Chinese Hokkien sect will offer their prayers to the Jade Emperor of Heaven.
This day also heralded as the New Year of the Chinese Hokkien sect. At about midnight of the eighth day of Chinese New Year, the Hokkiens will start to offer their thanks giving prayer to the Emperor of Heaven. Offerings will include joss sticks, fruits, cakes, roast pigs and so on. But the most important and most significant offering would be sugarcane.
Based on the Chinese folklore as passed down from the old generations, the Hokkiens somehow angered one of the Chinese sect in China which wanted a revenge by killing all the Hokkiens. The Hokkiens went into a sugarcane plantation for hiding but the pursuers continue to chase after them. Fearing for their life, the Hokkiens prayed to the Jade Emperor for his mercy and help. Miraculously, heavy rain poured on earth which extinguished the fires started by the pursuers and caused them to leave. The Hokkiens were safe then and it was the midnight of the 8th day of the Chinese Lunar calendar. Therefore, the day is celebrated with prayers of thanksgiving.
Sugarcanes are seen tied on each side of their praying altar on this day as a sign of gratitude to the plant which offered them the protection they needed at the time of danger. The Jade Emperor Festival is celebrated on a grand scale in Penang. You should drop by to Penang during the Chinese New Year time to witness this unique celebration.
Penang, Holiday in Penang, Jade Emperor Festival, Hokkien, Thanksgiving
It’s that day of the year where sleigh bells ring … snow is glistening … Ooopps!! Forgotten there is no snow in Malaysia. Well, it’s Christmas Day today and I would like to wish all our Christian brothers, sisters and friends a Merry Christmas.
We went to church last night for the midnight mass. It was indeed a gracious celebration. The church was beautifully decorated. Everyone was full spirited during the mass. It’s the day where all Christians in the world come together to celebrate the birth of Christ.
Prior to the mass, we had a caroling session by the church’s choir which made up of the adults as well as the children. The congregation was also requested to participate to sing together with the choir. The full spirited caroling ended with a high note to give way for the mass to start.
The grand stage of the church was also beautifully decorated. The mass started and it is indeed a more special mass because it’s to celebrate Christmas Day. The church was really packed with people. Some of which had to stand throughout the caroling session till the end of the mass but it’s a norm for midnight mass on Christmas Eve. Everyone was in a full Christmas spirit to even be bothered of that.
Mass ended at 12 something after which everyone was wishing one another Merry Christmas. And so … again, I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and may God bless us everyone.
Merry Christmas,
Mike
This 9 days long celebration of the Festival of the Nine Emperor Gods is an annual event that fall on the 9th month of the Lunar Calendar. Celebrated mostly by devotees of the Jiu Wang Yeh sect, the usually quiet temple on Burma Road, Penang is a hive of activity.
Prior to the start of the nine day celebrations, devout worshippers already start on a vegetarian diet and will continue for the next nine days. The festival kicks off with the deities being received by temples elders and devout worshippers.
It is believed that the Gods have to be entertained during their visit thus traditional opera and dances are staged throughout the nine days. Therefore the roads to the temple would be lined with yellow coloured banner and stalls that sells food and tidbits that caters to the vegetarian diet that is being observed by the devotees.
All around Penang, many stalls would be set up at the roadside bearing yellow banners to sell food to the hundreds of devotees.
Many also take the opportunity to renew their faith and perform their religious devotion and piety during this nine day period so that the coming year would be favourable for them. Hundreds and thousand of worshippers throng the temple each day, lighting joss sticks both big and small.
The climax of the festival is on the ninth day where the Gods are entertained for the final time and worshippers made their final tribute before the entourage proceeded for the sent off to the sea where they first “arrived”.