The eighth day at the Nine Emperor Gods festival is a comfortable one. The established patterns linger amidst the anticipation of the finale on the ninth. The day’s rituals are inclusive, rich in blessing and in energy. Here are nine…
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Protecting the sacred space of the festival is the priority of the rituals held on Days 3, 6 and 9. These rituals are designed to honour the 5 Taoist Generals and the spiritual armies of soldiers that arrive at the…
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I always wonder how we got here, once again, so quickly. This is the beginning; the cycle of renewal; new energies layered on top of the years gone by. On the eve of the festival, it’s all about the smoke…
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This is a short story about a dreamer, or rather it’s the beginning of a story about a dreamer. It comes from backstage at the Chinese Opera, a place where I often lose myself in romantic ideals of the itinerant…
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This past week, I had reason to think about equivalents, particularly what that means to photography, but also what it means to music, to poetry, to painting, and drawing. Minor White wrote that, in a photograph, “that which seems to…
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The sound of the nomadic Tuareg people of Mali is still echoing through the city as I write this. Theirs is a music that comes from time, that comes from a sense of knowing and a sense of longing. Tinariwen,…
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The eve of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival in Ampang is always one of great expectations. Before the sun sets, the dragons and lions dance before the altar in a frenzied performance of respect. In that ritual, the sacred space…
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There is an interesting energy on the eve of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival. For me it is a day of looking back and of looking forward, of seeking to remember what lies ahead. It always feels a little empty…
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Hong Kong St Tow Bow Keong is a gathering place. It is the heart of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival in Penang, respected, honest, dedicated. Here I see a convergence of energies, criss-crossing lines, colours merging. During the rituals, the…
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In Georgetown, the other evening, I witnessed a ritual at Tiong Sim Thnuah on Hong Kong Street. They worship the nine emperors as ONE, and present a beautiful, intricately-carved statue of that deity that they refer to as “a kind…
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