Wangkang festival. -filepic
MELAKA: The organiser of Wangkang festival 2024 hopes the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry will support the event by incorporating it as part of the 50th anniversary of Malaysia and China diplomatic ties.
Organising chairman Datuk Ronald Gan said the local community hopes China President Xi Jinping would be invited to witness the symbolic ritual with the commitment from the Federal Government.
"Wangkang is a testament to the strong ties between Malaysia and China since the early 1900s.
"Furthermore, a declaration has been made officially that Wangkang as an Intangible Cultural Heritage from Unesco jointly with China," he said in an interview on Sunday (July 31).
Malaysia and China will mark 50 years of diplomatic ties in 2024.
Gan said the last festival was held in 2020 but was a low-key affair due to the then movement control order (MCO).
He said the Wangkang procession in 2020 was initiated to get rid of the pandemic that plagued the world.
He said the Yong Chuan Tian Temple of Bandar Hilir here will be organising a procession after getting the command from the main deity - Ong Yah.
Gan said Ong Yah ordered similar processions in 1919, 1933, 2001 and 2012.
He said Wangkang is organised to collect wandering souls, evil spirits and other negative elements.
He said the spirits and negative elements collected in the majestic barge are then sent to another dimension.
Gan said the procession is held with a hope that it will bring health, peace, prosperity and happiness to the world.
He said Wangkang was first introduced to Melaka by the Hokkien community.
Gan said Wangkang also existed in Indonesia, Thailand and Japan, but Melaka had kept systematic records for some 100 years.
