All set for a festive time: Volunteers of the Tow Boe Keong Sungai Dua association preparing the main float for the Nine Emperor Gods Festival which begins tomorrow. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: After two years of muted celebrations, vegetarian food traders are looking forward to a bigger crowd at this year’s Kew Ong Yeah (Nine Emperor Gods) Festival.
In Taman Lip Sin here, several stall operators were seen bringing in supplies at their roadside stalls in preparation for the festival which starts tomorrow.
Yellow buntings, miniature flags and mini lanterns adorned the stretch of road.
Christine Lo, 70, who has been selling vegetarian biscuits and economy rice for nearly 20 years here, has hired more than a dozen workers to help man her stalls.
“It was tough for the past two years as there was no dine-ins and customers only did pick-ups.
“However, this year I am looking forward to a bigger crowd, especially for those who wish to dine in,” she said yesterday.
Vegetarian bubble milk tea seller Alex Goh, 32, who was seen with his brother-in-law Kang Wye Shun, 20, said they had been selling 16 different type of beverages there for the past five years.
He said their pick-up service was a hit with customers during the movement control order as they could not dine in.
“So many resorted to takeaways as this was convenient and safe,” he added.
Goh, who replaces fresh milk with soya milk powder in the bubble milk tea, said he first decided to sell the drink as an alternative for devotees who usually only drank tea or fruit juice.
Chairman of the Tow Boo Kong Temple in Jalan Raja Uda, Butterworth, Datuk Khor Wan Tat, said the sending-off ceremony for the Nine Emperor Gods would be grander this year.
“It will be just like the pre-Covid-19 days but we encourage devotees to wear their masks and if possible, do a self-test before attending the ceremony.
“In the past two years, only a few committee members took part in the ritual to send off the deity from Pantai Bersih in Bagan Ajam.
“The ceremony was on a smaller scale with fewer devotees and without the usual grand parade all the way to the sea,” he said.
The Nine Emperor Gods Festival, which pays homage to the Goddess of the North Star, starts tomorrow and ends on Oct 4.
The festival is observed by the Taoist community on the first day of the ninth lunar month.
This year, the festival coincides with the Navarathiri festival for Hindus.
Navarathiri is dedicated to the goddess Durga.
At the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple in Jelutong, cleaning and decorating works were in full swing.
Temple chairman M. Patmanathan, 67, said this year, they would have classical dances and songs at the temple during the nine days.
“There will also be a chariot procession on Oct 6.
“We encourage devotees to wear their masks when they are in the temple,” he said.
