The Legend of the Nine Emperor Gods

About Me:

I am Jayson Yeoh, a member of Urban Sketchers Penang, Malaysia.

I define myself as a travel sketcher; without sketching activities, traveling holds no real meaning for me.

Generally, I travel with simple sketching tools (such as a sketchbook, sketch pen, watercolor, and brush), exploring the unknown ahead during each trip. I record the mysterious and interesting scenes of the journey, adding some text to visually and verbally present my travel stories to the public.

I have always believed that these sketches are not just my personal travel stories; they are also the shared memories of myself and the passersby at the sketching locations. They have told me many things about the local people and events, especially during my travels in India, where the stories of the residents came to life through the brush in my hand.

You can see more of my sketches here:

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Celebration Rituals

The Nine Emperor Gods’ birthday is celebrated from the first to the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, with preparations starting on the last day of the eighth lunar month, resulting in a 10-day event.

At noon on the thirtieth day of the eighth lunar month, the temple displays a “High Lantern” to signal the approaching birthday of the Nine Emperor Gods. Temple officials, leaders, and devotees carry a palanquin to the riverside to welcome the deities back, with Taoist priests conducting the rituals.

On the second night of the ninth lunar month, the deity instructs the temple to welcome the Marshal at a specific time.

Military offerings occur on the third, sixth, and ninth days of the ninth lunar month, with the temple preparing vegetarian dishes for worship and sharing them with devotees and the soldiers of the Nine Emperor Gods.

On the eighth day of the ninth lunar month, a temporary wooden bridge is built in front of the temple. During the evening ceremony, devotees cross the bridge while Taoist priests bless them. Some, guided by mediums, walk barefoot over burning coals to seek protection from disasters.

On the last day of the ninth lunar month, devotees hold a grand worship ceremony to bid farewell to the deities with dragon and lion dances. They carry incense to the riverside, and the temple removes the High Lantern, marking the end of the Nine Emperor Gods’ celebration.

 

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On the 30th day of the 8th lunar month at noon, the temple raised a “High Lantern” to celebrate the Nine Emperor Gods’ birthday & to mark the Nine Emperor Gods’ birthday and the possession of the mediums by the gods.

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The streets near the Nine Emperor Gods’ temple are adorned with yellow cloths, and devotees, dressed in white and following a vegetarian diet for nine days, gather there. The Dou Mu Gong temple offers complimentary vegetarian meals to the devotees.

 

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During the Nine Emperor Gods celebration, temporary food stalls selling vegetarian food like rice, noodles, dumplings, and biscuits can be found around the city. People gather at vegetarian food stalls on the streets for meals in addition to enjoying vegetarian food at the temple.

 

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During the festive period, local residents, including men, women, and children, volunteer at the temple to prepare offerings like cakes, rice, vegetables, and drinks.

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Devout believers visit the temple to burn incense and pray for blessings.

 

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Spirit mediums, also known as Ji Tong, can impersonate gods such as Prince Nezha, Deity Ji Gong, Great Sage Equal to Heaven (Sun Wukong), or Bodhisattva Guanyin. The mediums stamp devotees’ clothes with a red seal symbolizing the gods’ protection (shown in the bottom right corner of the sketch).

 

 

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During the Nine Emperor Gods festival, each temple features a gold-colored paper boat used on the last night of the festival to send the Nine Emperor Gods back. A parade takes place with devotees following the floats until they reach the river, where the boat is burned, marking the festival’s conclusion.

 

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Temples host various performances like puppet shows and dragon or lion dances to attract more devotees for prayers, with night performances being particularly spectacular.

 

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Shows both the front and backstage scenes of a hand-puppet show.

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Shows the dragon robe (clothing and hat worn by the emperor) of the Nine Emperor Gods.

 

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Shows weapons in the Nine Emperor Gods’ temple.

 

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Shows a corner of the main entrance of the Dou Mu Gong temple.

 

 

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Shows a variety of offerings and paper items for worship.

 

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Shows the emperor’s boat with prayer slips fluttering in the wind. The yellow slips must clearly state the name of the person praying for safety.

Author
Jayson Yeoh
Artist's Website
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