The Colorful Nine Emperor Gods Festival

The Nine Emperor Gods Festival is a Taoist event held annually in China , Myanmar, Malaysia, Southern Vietnam, Thailand and also Indonesia around September. They are the nine sons manifested by Emperor Zhou Yu Dou Fu Yuan Jun and are a complicated lot.  Taoism itself forbid the worship of the Emperor and the temples of the Nine Emperor gods don’t recognize him, yet to invoke him during the festival.

The story behind this photograph

The Nine Emperor Gods festival in Malaysia is a colorful celebration filled with parades, spectacles and food. The most famous of these events is when people place metal skewers through their cheeks and are briefly possessed by the passing Emperor Gods. 

Part of the parade will have giant Chinese style dragons play acting along the streets along other colorful entities. The man in the colorful attire in this photograph is dressed to represent one of the Nine Emperor Gods.

It’s fun and unique festival these days with a lot of good nature and worth checking out if you are around then. Read more about festivals in Malaysia.

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