If your idea of a Nine Emperor Gods Festival is confined to Phuket, it shows just how little you know about George Town, Penang. The Nine Emperor Gods Festival is one of the most interesting features of Penang island.

The festival is originally a celebration of the nine sons manifested by the Father Emperor Zhou Yu Dou Fu Yuan Jun and Mother of the Big Dipper Dou Mu Yuan Jun. The Dou Mu Yuan Jun, or affectionately referred to simply as Dou Mu, holds the Registrar of Life and Death. It is a festival which Taoists believe, can help to prolong one's life, eliminate calamities and absolve the sins and past debts as we worship the Northern Dipper stars.

Many people are confused with the origin of the Nine Emperor Gods. There are many folklore pertaining to this festival, for example, that the nine emperors were originally pirates who behaved like Robin Hood of the west, robbing the rich to give to the poor. Another story is about the rebel who was beheaded for wanting the restoration of the Ming Dynasty during the Ching Dynasty.

Vegetarian

This festival falls in the first to the ninth day of the Ninth month of the Chinese Lunar calendar. During this period of time, there are  a lot of makeshift stalls in Penang, decorated in plain yellow colour, selling vegetarian foods to believers. According to tradition, we need to be very 'clean' to qualify worshipping the Nine Emperor Gods, hence the vegetarianism for either three days or throughout the duration of the nine days.

There are also makeshift altars during this time. From the first day, believers will flock these altars to offer joss sticks and joss papers, and some may ask for boons in front of the Nine Emperor Gods. In most cases, the request for boons will be accompanied by a promise of payment, usually in the form of becoming a vegetarian for the full nine days duration every year for the rest of the life if the boon is granted, depending on how serious the request is.

It is not easy to become a vegetarian for the purpose of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival. All utensils need to be new and clean, and even the drinking bottle or cup must be new too. No eggs are allowed for consumption, and milk is also a forbidden item. Coffee addicts will have to purchase a different type of coffee which is 'vegetarian' and not the normal coffee that we have every day.

Being Clean

There are also a lot of taboos for the prayer to the Nine Emperor Gods. A menstruating woman is never allowed to enter the makeshift altars, much less to make an offering to the Nine Emperor Gods. The body must be clean, and vegetarians during these nine days may actually abstain from cigarettes even if they are addicted to nicotine during the normal days. No alcohol is allowed, and in many cases, the worshippers will abstain from sexual activities during this period of time too. In short, it can be concluded that the worshippers will actually adhere to the precepts fully during this time.

Sending Off

It is generally known that the rain pours easily during the nine days. The rain becomes more apparent during the invitation and during the sending off of the Nine Emperor Gods, but the event is never short of people who follows the procession to the Jetty. The ninth day is a very much celebrated event, with mediums being in trance and possessed by the powers of other gods, usually Prince Nezha.

These mediums, during their trance, will walk along the streets with knifes and spears pierced through their mouths and body. There is not a single trace of blood or pain on their face, and they even go as far as to allow photography with worshippers and to give blessing items to those they come across. There can be rain, and yet, the people, usually dressed in yellow, are all fully motivated by their believes and total trust in the Nine Emperor Gods that the rain is no hindrance for them to follow the procession.

The sending off of the Nine Emperor Gods always include a huge paper ship specifically built for the purpose. When they reach the jetty, a ritual is conducted to say goodbye to the Nine Emperor Gods for that year, asking for blessings and protection by the Nine Emperor Gods. Paper ingots and the specially built paper ship is then burnt and put into the sea at the end of the jetty, burning gracefully as it sails off as the ritual comes to an end.

In the hearts of all the worshippers, it is hoped that their wishes will come true, and that everyone will have a healthy and peaceful year. Life goes on, until the next year when they invite the Nine Emperor Gods once again.

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The Penang state government has taken an initiative to introduce the cultures of Penang to the international front, and one of the largest festival in Penang that received such attention is the Hungry Ghost Festival. In year 2010, the state government had began sponsoring a venue for this event as part of the state's effort to boost the cultural interest and tourist attraction.

What is the significance of this celebration? In the past, this Chinese lunar 7^th month is a time when parents forbid their children from swimming or going out late at night, out of fear for the hungry ghosts who may be seeking for a replacement. This is, after all, a time when the Gates of Hell are opened, and the ghosts are free to roam around. However, who are the hungry ghosts?

Along the streets, one will see the burning of paper effigies and the offering of foods to those we call the “good brothers”. The hungry ghosts are perceived as “brothers” and they are usually wandering spirits with no relatives offering them anything to ease their pain and hunger during the normal tomb sweeping days that occurs each year. There is probably not even a place for them to rest, being that some of them may have died in accidents along the roads and failed rituals were not able to bring them to rest in peace under the care of their descendants.

On the other hand, ancestors too will be home to their descendants for a food feast specially prepared for them. In most cases, the descendants will go to one of the makeshift altars housing the Ghost King and participate in the ritual to appease the souls of the late ancestors by putting the names of these ancestors up on a piece of yellow paper stuck on the wall. There may be offerings of foods, clothes and hell notes for their use, and the offerings depend very much on which religion group the altar belongs to.

The Makeshift Altar

It looks more like a tent for a party. The party is full of foods set on a buffet line, and the main cast for this party is the Ghost King, the Da Shi Ye. The Da Shi Ye has a wrathful look, with fangs and fiery eyes, and sits majestically in the middle of the altar, a gigantic statue made of paper too. The Ghost King, also called the King of Hell, is said to originate from the Avalokitesvara, or the Bodhisattva Goddess of Mercy, who took the wrathful physique to make the mischievous and naughty ghosts humble and scared.

There are taboos pertaining to the offering of foods to the Da Shi Ye. The table which is set right in front of the huge statue should all belong to the Da Shi Ye, and parents would advise children to stay away from it. One story said that a mother once had to temporarily put her baby on the table because her hands were full. The moment she returned, the baby had died. The spirit medium who became the middleman in the conversation stated that the Da Shi Ye had thought that the baby was a food offering to him, hence he had eaten the child. It was not known whether the baby was then returned to the mother or not.

Performance

During the festival, a makeshift stage is often constructed facing the altar directly. There will be performances, such as Chinese opera or modern singers, who performs not for the public but actually for the 'brothers'. In many instance, seats are placed in front of the stage with the first rows reserved without any visible audience. In many cases, those who reportedly has the third eye said that the front row seats were full of 'brothers' sitting there to enjoy the show.

Offerings

The end of the duration for the makeshift altar is usually marked by the ceremony of burning paper effigies, including the statue of the Da Shi Ye as a mark to send him back to hell. Prior to that, there will be a lot of offerings depicted by the burning of paper effigies, hell notes, clothes and other items made of paper, blessed by the chief monk or master who chairs the ceremonies in the makeshift altar.

These are offerings to the wandering ghosts. During the burning of these paper effigies, some strange phenomenon may happen, especially the formation of strong, wild fires that seems to resemble hands snatching the items in a fiery manner, even if there is no strong winds during that time. It may rain too, and the explanation to this is the concentration of “Yin” aura around the area with too many hungry souls around.

Each altar has a different master and a different ritual. Visitors may watch, but not to make comments to avoid offending the Da Shi Ye.

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