Festivities of the Nine Emperor Gods

Synopsis

The salty seaside air mingles with the heady scent of incense. Along the shore, offering tables are set up while candles line the nine palanquins, surrounded by kneeling devotees facing the sea, as they offer prayers to the gods. Bells ring, and with shouts of ‘Huat ah!’, the palanquins are lit, signalling the arrival of the gods from the sea.

Celebrated from the eve of the eighth lunar month and spanning nine days, the Nine Emperor Gods Festival is possibly the largest Chinese religious festival in Singapore, drawing thousands of devotees. The Nine Emperor Gods are believed to be the nine stars surrounding the Big Dipper constellation and the nine children of the Taoist goddess Doumu. Their temples, usually quiet throughout the year, come alive during this period as the community gathers.

Hundreds of volunteers come together for the preparations, which begin two to three months before the festival. During this time, temples undergo thorough cleaning, tents are erected, and decorations, lanterns and banners are hung. Atar tables are set up and draped in yellow cloth, while statues from prayer halls are shifted out to the tents. Elsewhere, the elaborately-decorated palanquins—nine sedan chairs, each carrying an urn representing a deity—are cleaned, restored, and adorned with lights. Devotees observe abstinence and vegetarianism to purify their bodies.

Throughout the nine days, the palanquins are brought from temple to temple, accompanied by processional Teochew percussion and welcomed with lion and dragon dances. Chinese opera is sometimes performed as entertainment for the gods, featuring the legendary Eight Immortals paying their respects and offering birthday wishes to the Nine Emperor Gods. Most of these performative traditions and crafts are intrinsically linked to temple activities, with some being unique to this region, even to specific temples in Singapore. However, they often struggle with continuity as successive generations of youth feel increasingly disconnected from traditional culture and language.

In this collaboration between several local Nine Emperor Gods temples, immerse yourself in the atmosphere and heritage art forms surrounding this major Taoist festival. Experience southern Chinese temple traditions in this rare re-creation of the festival’s processions and ceremonies.