Elaborate dragon dance admired by devotees and onlookers. Photos by Chan Tak Kong / The Star

(By Tsem Rinpoche)

One of the many fascinating and historical festivals in Malaysia is the Nine Emperor Gods Festival. This festival takes place from the first to ninth day of the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar.

Throughout this nine-day festival, adherents observe a strict vegetarian diet, meditate, study scriptures, interact with fellow vegetarians, and make donations to the temples to show their devotion to the gods. During this festival, many hawkers and vendors set up stalls around the town to sell food and prayer supplies. Many devotees also take this opportunity to donate to various rituals and ceremonies in order to maintain luck, to dispel bad luck, and to show appreciation for the good luck they received in the previous year.

The origin of the myth of the Nine Emperor Gods can be traced back to the Han Dynasty, during the development of Daoism. The southern part of China was once the land of the Min and Yue tribes, who were experts in magic, spells, and communication with gods, spirits, and the deceased. With Fujian and Guangdong incorporated into the Chinese Empire during the Qin and Han Dynasties more than 2,000 years ago, the indigenous Min and Yue cultures combined naturally with that of the Northern Daoist Han Chinese settlers. This resulted in the mixture of a rich spiritual, architectural and gastronomical heritage that is evident in southern China today. When the Fujian (or Hokkien) and Guangdong (or Cantonese) people migrated to Southeast Asia and the rest of the world, these heritages spread to the world, together with the beliefs of the Nine Emperor Gods.

At the same time, the practice of worshipping and deifying them as gods started.

In Southeast Asia, this belief became especially popular in Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and the Riau Islands. In today’s Peninsular and East Malaysia, there are more than 50 temples dedicated to these gods. The festival also takes place at these temples, where the gods are commonly and affectionately referred to by their followers as the Nine Emperor Grandfathers (Jiu Wang Ye). The Nan Tian Gong Temple, located in Ampang, is one of the more well-known venues for this celebration, followed by the Hong San Si Temple in Klang.

Brief Introduction of the Nine Emperor Gods

There are several accounts as to who the Nine Emperor Gods are, and what their worship represents. One account is that the Nine Emperor Gods were the nine princes manifested by the Emperor Doufu Zhouyu Tianzun, together with the mother of the Dipper, Doumu Yuanjun. These princes became the star deities, known in the Western constellations as the Northern Dipper (Beidou Jiuing).

Doumu together with Doufu are believed to control the pivot of the North Pole, and she closely watches the revolution of the nine stars. Daoists believe that the Northern Dipper controls the fates of individuals and states. The Northern direction is also associated with the element of water, which is also the symbol of life and death, so Doumu is said to hold a life and death register. In addition, Doumu is known as a merciful water spirit who offers protection for seafarers.

Inner altar for Doumu

The Nine Emperors are formed by the seven stars of the Dipper of the Northern Ursa Major (visible) and two assistant stars (invisible to most people). The stars are:

• 1st Star – Tan Lang Tai Xing Jun (Visible, Bayer: α UMa)
• 2nd Star – Ju Men Yuan Xing Jun (Visible, Bayer: β UMa)
• 3rd Star – Lu Cun Zhen Xing Jun (Visible, Bayer: γ UMa)
• 4th Star – Wen Qu Niu Xing Jun (Visible, Bayer: δ UMa)
• 5th Star – Yu Lian Zhen Wang Xing Jun (Visible, Bayer: ε UMa)
• 6th Star – Wu Qu Ji Xing Jun (Visible, Bayer: ζ UMa)
• 7th Star – Po Jun Guan Xing Jun (Visible, Bayer: η UMa)
• 8th Star – Zuo Fu Da Dao Xing Jun (invisible)
• 9th Star – You Bi Da Dao Xing Jun (invisible)

Since this belief was first brought to other countries from China, the worship of Doufu has declined strongly as the teachings of Daoism faded out. Most of the Nine Emperor Gods temples today do not acknowledge the existence of Doufu, but he is invoked alongside Doumu during lidou – the Great Dipper Honouring Ceremony. It is said that honouring the Dipper can prolong one’s life, eliminate bad luck, clear wrongdoings, and forgive previous karmic debts to oneself and family.

Altar for Doufu

According some folklore, the Nine Emperor Gods were actually Ming Dynasty sea bandits who robbed the rich and helped the poor. Another legend goes that they were nine righteous people who rebelled against the Qing government, but they were beheaded by the river side on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month by the Qing army, causing their spirits to linger around the vicinity and cause problems. Thereafter the Imperial Court conferred the spirits with the title of ‘Nine Emperor Gods’ and then sent them out of China by sea. The people living along the South-East region set up shrines to pray to the spirits as the boat sailed by, and later shrines were erected across the country to venerate those spirits.

As the legend continues, the nine heads were hung on a coconut tree, and some devotees later lighted ‘nine wicks in oil lamp’ (Jiu Qu Deng) on top of bamboo poles during the festival. Every year, devotees usher and send off the Nine Emperor Gods by the sea or riverside which was said to be the location where they were beheaded. As evident, this festival in China is very different from the one practised in South-East Asia.

The Festival and Ceremonies

On the eve of the ninth moon, the temples hold special ceremonies to invoke and welcome the Nine Emperors. As the gods are believed to arrive through the waterways, processions are held from temples to the seashore or river. Devotees wear mourning clothes to signify the mourning of the Emperors, while others dress in traditional white, carrying incense and candles and await the arrival of their Excellencies. The first item that flows down the stream will be invited to the temple as it is believed to be the representative of the gods who have no image to adapt into.

During this period, the constant tinkling of a prayer bell and chants from the Daoist priests can be heard. Most devotees stay at the temple to recite continuous prayers, and it is compulsory for them to adopt a strict vegetarian diet throughout the period. It is commonly believed that it will rain through all the days of celebration, where on the ninth day, at the festival’s climax, a procession of scores of devotees send the deities back home.

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/AmpangAndTheNineEmperorGods2014.mp4

Vegetarian Ritual

The festival begins on the last day of the eighth lunar month with the raising of the nine wicks in oil lamp. The lamp is raised to invite divinities to the temple grounds in celebration of the festival, and as a sign of continuous divine presence, they stay lit throughout the nine days. The vegetarian ritual starts on the same day, during which the Jiu Wang Ye (or Nine Emperor Grandfathers) followers are expected to observe vegetarian diet in order to purify their bodies. This is believed to relieve them of the wrongdoings they have committed.

Welcome Ritual

Traditionally, the welcome ritual is held the next day, which is also the first day of the ninth lunar month. A street procession starts from the temple and proceeds to a nearby river or sea to invite the gods. The procession headed by the lion and dragon dance troupes are followed by devotees and sedan chairs carrying the sacred urn and statues of accompanying gods. The carriers of the sedan chairs are dressed in white and they swing the sedan chairs violently to symbolise the presence of divine. As the procession progresses, they may be accompanied by a Daoist priest and a spirit medium. The medium will indicate places where evil spirits lurk, and the priest will purify these spots.

At the river, the Daoist priest invokes and invites the Nine Emperor Gods spirits to descend into the urn. When the ashes in the urn burn vigorously, it is an indication that the gods have arrived. The urn is then carried back to the temple and kept from public view.

The carriers of the sedan chairs carried the urn back to the temple

Throughout the nine days, worshippers visit the temple with offerings to ask for Jiu Wang Ye’s blessing. The bridge-crossing purification ritual is one of the important activities during this period, in which devotees receive yellow threads, charms or a Jiu Wang Ye seal stamped on their clothing to ward off the evils of the past year.

Spirit medium possessions and the fire-walking purification ritual are mostly practised in Ampang and Penang during this festival.

Although the procession is practised in both Daoism and Chinese folk religion, only folk religion practitioners believe that the Emperors can take trance in the spirit mediums. In other words, folk religion and Daoism occasionally worship the same gods, but both religions worship them in different ways.

Sending Off Ritual

On the ninth day, the ritual to send off the gods begins with the transfer of the sacred urn to the sedan chair followed by a procession to a river. The procession is accompanied by lion dancers, stilt walkers and devotees playing ritual drums, cymbals and gongs, while other devotees follow in cars, taxis, buses and trucks. At the river, the Daoist priest conducts the ceremony to send off the gods, while selected temple committee members climb into a wooden boat with the flaming urn and travel towards the centre of the river to symbolise the departure of the gods. The festival officially ends with the lowering of the Jiu Qu Deng lamps on the tenth day. This is followed by the ending of the vegetarian ritual when meat dishes are laid out to thank the guards of heaven. These dishes are later shared amongst worshippers to signify the ending of the festival.

Nan Tian Gong

Every year at Nan Tian Gong in Ampang, an organising committee consisting of twenty members and a chairman meet to plan for the yearly celebration, with help from about 100 hundred volunteers in the daily running of the festival.

The festival starts on the last day of the eighth lunar month with the erection of a tall lamp (Jiu Qu Deng) on the left side of the temple square, followed by a consecration ritual to purify the temple grounds and deploy the heaven, earth, water and fire spirit soldiers to the five altars: the inner altar for Doumu; the central altar for the Jade Emperor, Guanyin, the God of Fate, and Fude Zhengshen or Dabogong; the outer altar for Tiangong (the Sky Deity); the star deities’ altar for Beidou (the Northern Dipper) and Nandou (the Southern Dipper); and the tall lamp for Tianguan Cifu (the heavenly official who confers luck).

The next day, on the first day of the ninth lunar month, the actual celebration begins with the staging of an opera. On the third, sixth and ninth days, a special feast is held for the spirit soldiers and laity (koujun). The tenth day marks the end of the celebration with the lowering of the tall lamp (Jiu Qu Deng) and the recalling of the spirit soldiers from their respective posts.

Temple address:
Jalan Merdeka
Ampang New Village
Ampang Jaya
68000 Selangor
Malaysia
Phone: +60 17-881 1277

Nearby Accommodation

1. D’Olive Hotel
   This hotel is just a 4-minute walk away from Nan Tian Gong, and a 12-minute drive away from the Kuala Lumpur city centre. Mid Valley Megamall is a 30-minute drive away, Bukit Bintang 15 minutes, and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is a 1-hour drive.
   A-7-G & A-8-G Merdeka Place
   Jalan Merdeka
   Ampang Jaya
   68000 Selangor
   Malaysia
   Phone: +60 3-4280 5213
2. Old Penang Hotel – Ampang Point
   This hotel is a 10-minute drive away from Nan Tian Gong, and a 15-minute drive from the Twin Towers (KLCC). It is a 20-minute drive to Pavilion KL shopping mall and Mid Valley Megamall, and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is a 55-minute drive away.
   No. 14, Jalan Mamanda 5
   Taman Dato’ Ahmad Razali
   Ampang Jaya
   68000 Selangor
   Malaysia
   Phone:+60 3-4266 2639
3. Puteri Ampang Hotel
   This hotel is a 10-minute drive away from Nan Tian Gong and the Kuala Lumpur city centre. It is just a 5-minute walk from the Ampang Point shopping mall, and an hour’s drive away from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
   66A, Jalan Mamanda 1
   Ampang Point
   Ampang Jaya
   68000 Selangor
   Malaysia
   Phone:+60 3-4266 5000

References:

• Cheu Hock Tong, The Festival of the Nine Emperor Gods in Malaysia: Myth, Ritual, and Symbol, National University of Singapore
  Asian Folklore Studies, Volume 55, 1996: 49-72
• All the action from Malaysia’s Nine Emperor gods festival from Newindianexpress.com
• Welcoming the Nine Emperor Gods from Thestar.com.my
• Nine Emperor Gods Festival from 9emperorgods.wordpress.com
• Nine Emperor Gods from Redboxstudio.comy
• Even Deities Need A Website… from Nst.com.my
• Nine Emperor Gods Festival from Eresources.nlb.gov.sg
• Nine Emperor Gods Festival Date in the current year: October 1, 2016 from Anydayguide.com
• Nine Emperor Gods Festival from Go2travelmalaysia.com
• Nine Emperor Gods from Chinatownology.com

For more interesting information:

• The Malaysia category on my blog
• Wesak Day In Malaysia
• Thaipusam – The Festival of Lord Murugan
• The Dragon Boat Festival: A Fusion of Traditional and Modern Culture
• Guan Yin Day
• Gawai Dayak – The Celebration of Bountiful Harvest
• Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Hari Raya Puasa)

Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:

If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team