![Steamed buns, the Vegetarian Festival in Phuket 13](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Steamed_buns%2C_the_Vegetarian_Festival_in_Phuket_13.JPG)
The Nine Emperor Gods Festival ( zh, 九皇爺誕; ms, Perayaan Sembilan Maharaja Dewa; th, เทศกาลกินเจ) or Vegetarian Festival or Jay Festival is a nine-day
Taoist
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...
celebration beginning on the eve of the ninth lunar month of the
Chinese calendar
The traditional Chinese calendar (also known as the Agricultural Calendar 曆; 农历; ''Nónglì''; 'farming calendar' Former Calendar 曆; 旧历; ''Jiùlì'' Traditional Calendar 曆; 老历; ''Lǎolì'', is a lunisolar calendar ...
, celebrated primarily in
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
n countries such as
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
,
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
and
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
by the
Peranakan
The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, ...
s (not the entire
Overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese () refers to people of Chinese birth or ethnicity who reside outside Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. As of 2011, there were over 40.3 million overseas Chinese.
Terminology
() or ''Hoan-kheh'' () in Hokkien, refe ...
community). It takes place at the same time as the Hindu festival
Navaratri
Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in the honour of the goddess Durga. It spans over nine nights (and ten days), first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and again in the month of Sharada. It is ob ...
.
Introduction to the Nine Emperor Gods
The Nine Emperor Gods ''Jiǔ Huáng Xīng Jūn / Jiǔ Huáng Da Di'' (九皇星君/九皇大帝) are the nine sons manifested by Father Emperor Zhou Yu ''Dou Fu Yuan Jun'' (斗父周御國王天尊) and Mother of the
Big Dipper
The Big Dipper ( US, Canada) or the Plough ( UK, Ireland) is a large asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; six of them are of second magnitude and one, Megrez (δ), of third magnitude. Four define a "bowl" ...
''
Dou Mu Yuan Jun'' (斗母元君) who holds the Registrar of Life and Death. Today, most Nine Emperor God temples do not acknowledge the existence of Dou Fu Yuan Jun. However, Dou Fu Yuan Jun is invoked alongside Dou Mu Yuan Jun in Great Dipper Honouring known as ''Li Dou'' (禮斗) ceremonies.
According to Rev. Long Hua, the 35th generation Taoist priest from Singapore, honouring the Northern Dipper stars prolongs one's life, eliminate calamities, and absolves
sin
In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...
s and past
debt
Debt is an obligation that requires one party, the debtor, to pay money or other agreed-upon value to another party, the creditor. Debt is a deferred payment, or series of payments, which differentiates it from an immediate purchase. The ...
s of oneself and his family. The term ''Ye'' (爺) as in ''Jiu Huang Ye'' (九皇爺) loosely translates as "Grandfather", a title worshipers commonly use to bring a more intimate relationship between themselves and the Nine Emperors. The Nine Emperor Gods should not be mixed up with the ''Wang Ye'' or Princes of the Ming loyalists. Popular folk culture has it that the Nine Emperor Gods are actually loyalists of the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
who fought against
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
. According to Long Hua, this information is inaccurate and considered derogatory to the actual teachings of Taoism as the Nine Emperor Gods are actually high-ranking Star Lords who preside over the movement of
planet
A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a you ...
s and coordinate mortal Life and Death issues. The Nine Emperors is formed by the seven stars of the Big Dipper of the North Ursa Major (visible) and two assistant stars (invisible to most people). The Nine Emperor Stars are:
#Tan Lang Tai Xing Jun (貪狼太星君)1st Star (Visible) Bayer: α UMa
#Ju Men Yuan Xing Jun (巨門元星君) 2nd Star (Visible) Bayer: β UMa
#Lu Cun Zhen Xing Jun (祿存貞星君) 3rd Star (Visible) Bayer: γ UMa
#Wen Qu Niu Xing Jun (文曲紐星君) 4th Star (Visible) Bayer: δ UMa
#Lian Zhen Gang Xing Jun (玉廉貞綱星君) 5th Star (Visible) Bayer: ε UMa
#Wu Qu Ji Xing Jun (武曲紀星君) 6th Star (Visible) Bayer: ζ UMa
#Po Jun Guan Xing Jun (破軍關星君) 7th Star (Visible) Bayer: η UMa
#Zuo Fu Da Dao Xing Jun (左輔大道星君) 8th Star (Invisible)
#You Bi Da Dao Xing Jun (右弼大道星君) 9th Star (Invisible)
Nine Emperor Gods Festival celebration in popular folk culture
On the eve of the lunar ninth month, temples dedicated to Nine Emperor Gods will conduct an important ceremony to invoke and welcome the Nine Emperor Gods. Since the arrival of the Nine Emperor Gods is believed to be descending through the waterways, processions are held from temples to the seashore or river to symbolize this belief. Devotees dressed in traditional white, carrying incense and candles, await for their arrival.
A carnival-like atmosphere pervades the temple throughout the nine-day festival. During this period of time, the constant tinkling of a prayer bell and chants from the temple priests or mediums are heard. Most devotees stay at the temple, eat vegetarian meals, maintain celibacy and recite continuous chanting of prayer. It is believed that there will be rain throughout the nine days of the celebration.
The ninth day of the festival is its climax. An important procession that draws thousands of devotees to send the Nine Emperor Gods back via waterways.
Celebration in Thailand
![Thai](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Thai_%22che%22_sign.jpg)
In
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, this festival is called ''thetsakan kin che'' (), the Vegetarian Festival. It is celebrated throughout the entire country, but the festivities are at their height in
Phuket
Phuket (; th, ภูเก็ต, , ms, Bukit or ''Tongkah''; Hokkien:普吉; ) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands of ...
, where over the half of the population is
Peranakan
The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, ...
s. The Phuket Vegetarian Festival attracts crowds of spectators because of many of the unusual religious rituals that are performed.
Shops in Phuket and throughout Thailand display red and yellow jay flags to indicate they are serving appropriate vegan food for observant participants. Vegan food is prepared because it is considered the most pure. Phuket has the largest festival, but many other cities in Thailand celebrate the festival as well.
The American chef Dan Sriprasert used the vegan recipes he learned to make at his mother's food stall in
Nan, Thailand
Nan ( th, น่าน, ) is a town in northern Thailand. It is north of Bangkok. It is in the centre of Nan Province which bears its name, and of which it is the former administrative capital. It covers ''tambon'' Nai Wiang and parts of ''tamb ...
during the festival to create the menu for the popular
Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro
The Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro is a vegetarian restaurant serving Thai cuisine in Portland, Maine that opened in 2007 in the city's Arts District. A second Green Elephant restaurant located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire opened in 2015. It h ...
in the United States.
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
and
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...
also have many vendors selling vegan food during the festival.
Hat Yai had more than 100 vegetarian food stalls during the 2022 festival. It was also reported that Chinese temples in Hat Yai stockpiled vegetarian food in advance of the festival and hired more people. Many tourists come from Malaysia.
During the festival, food stalls sell Thai and Chinese food made without animal products. Noodle dishes, curries and soups are prepared without meat, fish sauce, eggs or dairy. Realistic vegetarian meats are used instead. The dishes are prepared without the use of garlic, chili, or strong spices. Many varieties of tofu are prepared and sold during the festival. Popular dishes are vegetarian pink noodle soup, which uses mushrooms to substitute pork blood cubes, fried tofu, deep-fried spring roll, and fried taro.
In addition to eating pure food, festival participants must keep their thoughts pure and wear white as a symbol of purity. Also to maintain purity devout festival participants abstain from sex, alcohol and stimulants during the festival.
In accordance with the traditions, many religious mediums will conduct ritualized mutilation upon themselves and one another while under a trance-like state, including but not limited to: impaling through cheeks, arms, face, legs, back etc., with everything from as small as syringes to as large as is agreed upon between all members; partial skinning (the skin is not removed, just cut and flipped over); slashing of limbs, chest, stomach and especially tongue with swords, axes and knives; bloodletting; removal of tissue (normally limited to cysts) and intentionally wrapping or standing near fire crackers as they are lit.
This is done without anaesthetic, always inside or near the temples surrounded by other devotees with only iodine, petroleum jelly and surgical gloves as precautionary measures. Despite this scenario, many of the people performing the rituals are also the people who will care for many of the people in their recovery.
To this effect few people ever need to have prolonged medical treatment, and although in the weeks after the festival many people will be seen covered in bandages, scarring is uncommon, stitching, even on individual devotees who impale their cheeks, is rare, and return to daily activity for the devotees occurs shortly after the completion of the ritual, frequently before the festival ends unless performed on the last days, much sooner than before the bandages themselves are removed.
The purpose of this practice is a mixture of
veneration for their gods and ancestors, to display their devotion to their beliefs and the trance itself, which has a profound impact upon demeanour for days or weeks after, frequently with devotees appearing exceptionally calm and focused in their day-to-day activities after the festival is completed.
![Vegetarian festival phuket](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Vegetarian_festival_phuket.jpg)
According to an early-nineteenth-century interpretation of Chinese Taoism by a local community of Chinese immigrant miners, the Nine Emperor Gods descend from poles located in the shrine’s yards and incarnate by using the bodies of the participants as shells for walking on Earth. The participants who prepare to volunteer their bodies to the gods are called the Ma Song. During the main ritual at the temples, the Ma Song fall into a trance and pierce their cheeks with ritual objects, including knives, spears, relics, and other items of personal significance. Then, the Ma Song demonstrate their submission by presenting their expressive forms of self-mutilation in a public procession. In his research project starting in 2012, Schneider identified the affective states of the Ma Song that reflected a religious frame of submission. While in Western cultures dominance is seen as a cherished goal, Schneider observed an unusual appreciation of submission amongst the Ma Song. This might be generalizable to other religious practices where believers submit in devotion. This study has been made possible through the support by Fulbright Scholar grant PD2082693, the National Research Council of Thailand in Bangkok, and the members of the Phuket Provincial Cultural Office. Dr. Schneider was depicted on his research site in a National Geographic documentation by Morgan Freeman.
''Jeh''
During a period of nine days, those who are participating in the festival dress all in white and ''ghin jeh'' กินเจ, which has come to be translated as abstinence from eating meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy products. Vendors and proprietors of restaurants indicate that ''jeh'' food is for sale at their establishments by putting a yellow flag out with the word เจ (''jeh'') written on it in red. However, technically, only food prepared in the sacred kitchen of the
Chinese temple
Chinese temple architecture refer to a type of structures used as place of worship of Chinese Buddhism, Taoism or Chinese folk religion, where people revere ethnic Chinese gods and ancestors. They can be classified as:
* '' miào'' () or ''di ...
(in Thailand, called ''sarnjao'' ศาลเจ้า or ''um'' อ๊ำ) is ''jeh,'' as it must undergo a series of rituals before it can be given that name.
''Masong''
''Masong'' ม้าทรง are the people who invite the spirits of gods to possess their bodies. ''Ma'' ม้า is the word for horse in Thai, and the name ''masong'' refers to how the spirits of the gods use the bodies of these people as a vehicle, as one rides a horse. Only pure, unmarried men or women without families of their own can become ''masong.'' At the temple they undergo a series of rituals to protect them for the duration of the festival, during which flagellation and self-mutilation is practiced. The ''masong'' tradition which is similar to ''
Tâng-ki'' also exist among the Chinese communities in Singapore and Malaysia during this festival.
The festivities in Phuket include a procession of ''masong'' wearing elaborate costumes who pierce their cheeks and tongues with all manner of things, including swords, banners, machine guns, table lamps, and flowers. While the face is the most common area pierced, some also pierce their arms with pins and fishhooks. Teams of people accompany the ''masong'' to keep their wounds clean and to help support the heavier piercings. It is believed that while they are possessed the ''masong'' will not feel any pain. They can also be seen shaking their heads back and forth continually, and usually do not seem to "see" their surroundings. At the temple during the festival there is also firewalking and blade-ladder climbing. While large crowds of people gather to watch, the entranced ''mah song'' distribute blessed candy and pieces of orange cloth with Chinese characters printed on them ''yan'' ยันต์ for good luck.
Gallery
Image:Ahm (Chinese Temple) in Cherngtalay, the Vegetarian Festival in Phuket 07.JPG, People gathering around an ''am'' from early morning to witness piercing ceremony and to participate in the parade afterwards
Image:Mah songs at the Vegetarian Festival in Phuket 08.JPG, ''Masong'' are getting ready to participate in the morning parade starting from one of the ''am'' in Western Phuket
Image:Mah song at the Vegetarian Festival in Phuket 06.JPG, ''Masong'' pending to have his cheeks pierced
Image:Mah song at the Vegetarian Festival in Phuket 05.JPG, Piercing is supervised by medical staff and performed using special instruments
Image:Female Mah songs at the Vegetarian Festival in Phuket 04.JPG, Female ''masong''
Image:Mah songs at the Vegetarian Festival in Phuket 03.JPG,
Image:Mah song at the Vegetarian Festival in Phuket 02.JPG,
Image:Mah song at the Vegetarian Festival in Phuket 01.JPG,
Image:Mah song at the Vegetarian Festival in Phuket 09.JPG,
Image:The Vegetarian Festival in Phuket 10.JPG, Parades usually start at 9 minutes past the hour, disrupting traffic during morning rush hours. The procession walks from an ahm to Phuket town.
See also
*
Doumu
Dǒumǔ (), also known as Dǒumǔ Yuánjūn ( "Lady Mother of the Chariot"), Dòulǎo Yuánjūn ( "Lady Ancestress of the Chariot") and Tàiyī Yuánjūn ( "Lady of the Great One"), is a goddess in Chinese religion and Taoism. She is also named ...
(斗母元君)
*
Tou Mu Kung Temple, Singapore
*
Chinese folk religion in Southeast Asia
*
Wang Ye worship
Wang Ye worship () is a Fujianese and Taiwanese folk religion, frequently considered an aspect of the Taoist belief system. Wang Ye is particularly worshipped in Southern Taiwan and also among Minnan speaking communities worldwide.
The customary ...
*
Birthday of the Monkey God
*
Monkey King Festival
The Monkey King Festival () is celebrated in Hong Kong on the 16th day of the eighth Lunar month of the Chinese calendar, corresponding to September according to the Common era calendar, a day after the Mid Autumn Festival. The origin of the fes ...
*
Zhong Yuan Festival
The Ghost Festival, also known as the Zhongyuan Festival (traditional Chinese: 中元節; simplified Chinese: ) in Taoism and Yulanpen Festival () in Buddhism, is a traditional Taoist and Buddhist festival held in certain East Asian countrie ...
*
List of vegetarian festivals
Vegetarian and vegan festivals are held around the world to promote veganism and/or vegetarianism among the public and to support and link individuals and organizations that practice, promote or endorse veganism or vegetarianism. Many of these ev ...
Notes
*Cohen, Eric; ''The Chinese Vegetarian Festival in Phuket Bangkok''; White Lotus, 2001,
News articles
*
*
External links
Singapore Nine Emperor Gods Project 九皇文化Nine Emperor Gods 九皇大帝 Temple in Ipoh, Perak, MalaysiaPhuket Vegetarian Festival - ThailandPhuket Vegetarian Festival 2018 - PhuketPhuket Vegetarian Festival 2018 , Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2018 - Video
{{Authority control
Public holidays in China
October observances
Festivals in Chinese folk religion
Malaysian culture
Festivals in Thailand
Vegetarian festivals
Observances set by the Chinese calendar