JOHOR BARU: The big day is on Feb 17 but for the organisers of the annual Johor Baru Ancient Temple Chingay procession, their work started months ago.
Preparations are in full swing to put on a spectacular show to wow the Sultan of Johor, who will be attending the event for the second time.
Johor Baru Ancient Temple chairman and chingay organising chairman Lee Poo Sin said it was an honour to have Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar grace the event again after attending it for the first time last year.
He said the organisers, made up of five Chinese clans namely Hakka, Teochew, Hokkien, Cantonese and Fuzhou, have a few tricks up their sleeves to ensure a spectacular show.
“They have been quite secretive about their plans to keep an element of surprise.
“But from what I heard, there will be at least 14 colourful and elaborately decorated floats for the spectators, some of which were done up at more than RM100,000 each,” he said in an interview yesterday.
He acknowledged that there was pressure in making sure things run smoothly,
“Though there is more pressure, no doubt, the committee is looking forward to this because it has a 147-year history and tradition,” Lee said, adding that there would also be live streaming of the procession.
In line with the Sultan’s Bangsa Johor slogan, Lee said he had advised participants to incorporate the element of muhibbah into their performances and floats.
The procession takes place on the 21st day of the lunar month, which falls on Feb 17.
It covers a route of 9km where devotees would carry the five deities from the five clan associations on palanquins and parade them around the city centre to bless Johor and its people.
It is an annual affair attended by tens of thousands of people to mark the end of the Chinese New Year celebration.
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