ARTICLE DEVOTEES WELCOME NINE EMPEROR GODS WELCOMED BY

Devotees welcome Nine Emperor Gods welcomed by

The air is thick with smoke from joss sticks and incense as devotees stream into the Tow Bow Keong temple to pray and make offerings.
By DIANA - September 27, 2014 @ 8:01am
IPOH: MORE than 10,000 devotees and visitors are expected to throng the Tow Bow Keong temple here to pay respects to the Nine Emperor Gods.
The Nine Emperor Gods Festival began on Wednesday and will end next Friday.
The festival is always a lively event as devotees and visitors fill the temple grounds to perform prayers and make offerings, shop for talismans and good luck charms, and watch Chinese operas.
Some take the festival as the chance to go on a religious retreat by staying the full nine days at the temple hostel, where they observe a strict vegetarian diet.
Temple secretary Sing Loon How said the temple provided the daily 2,000 visitors, including tourists, with free lunch and dinner during the festival.
The festival begins with a ceremony to welcome the deities on the banks of Sungai Kinta, where they will also be sent off at the end of the festival.
The festival is held in remembrance of the goddess Dou Mou, who holds the Register of Life and Death, and her nine sons — the Emperor Gods Tan Lang Tai, Ju Men Yan, Lu Cun Zhen, Wen Qu Niu, Lian Zhen Gang, Wu Qu Ji, Po Jun Guan, Zuo Fu Da Dao and You Bi Da Dao.
Meanwhile, one of the festival staples is the fresh buns presented as offerings to the deities. These buns come in various shapes and are sold at the stalls set up outside the temple.
Trader See Cin Wah, 38, said he had a team of 50 workers working around the clock to produce buns of various shapes and designs that symbolise good luck.
“We produce about 2,000 buns daily to meet demand of devotees and visitors. We are open from 8am until midnight.
“Our most popular items are the big single tortoise buns, double tortoise buns, family set buns and prosperity buns, which have auspicious characters on them,” said See.
This year, he has introduced the coconut flower bun and oat bun.
“People are getting more health conscious and we have to be able to cater to their changing needs,” he said.
The 118-year-old Tow Boo Keong temple is in Jalan Tokong. It is open around the clock during the festival.

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