Temple worship: Devotees offering trays of Indian sweets, flowers and fruits to Goddess Durga at the Sri Mahamariamman Temple in Queen Street, Penang. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
Hindu festival this year comes a month before the Nine Emperor Gods
GEORGE TOWN: Hindus in the country are now celebrating their nine-day Navarathri Festival, but unlike in previous years, the celebrations come a month before the Nine Emperor Gods Festival.
Usually, both festivals are celebrated at around the same time.
Navarathri, a festival in honour of Goddess Durga, began on Sept 22 and will culminate with Dussehra, or Vijayadashami, on Oct 2. Each day celebrates a different facet of the Goddess.
The Nine Emperor Gods Festival will run from Oct 21 to Oct 29.
Devotees have been thronging temples such as the Arulmigu Sri Mahamariamman Temple in Queen Street to join special prayers for the goddess and to receive anadhanam (meals offered after prayers).
During the nine days, a Golu – a multi-level altar with idols of the deities and scenes from Indian culture and folklore – is usually displayed at temples and in homes and prayers are offered.
Seberang Perai Tengah Toumu Kung Association chairman Ang Sum Kee explains that the Nine Emperor Gods Festival falls a month later this year because of a “leap month” – an extra month inserted into the Chinese lunisolar calendar about every three years.
“This extra month keeps the Chinese calendar aligned with the seasons.
“This year, a leap lunar month was inserted in the sixth lunar month, from July 25 to Aug 22, which pushed back events like this festival,” he said yesterday.
The Chinese calendar is lunisolar, meaning it tracks both the moon and the sun. Ang said an extra month is added periodically to keep it aligned with the solar year.
“Back in 2014, both the leap month and the Nine Emperor Gods Festival fell in September and we had to conduct two sets of prayers,” he added.
Penang Hindu Endowment Board commissioner and Malaysia Hindu Sangam Seberang Jaya council chairman Siva Shri N. Dinesh Varman said Navarathri is celebrated in the Tamil lunar month of Ashwin, which generally falls between September and October.
“There are four Navarathris in the Hindu calendar but the Shardiya Navarathri is the main one, celebrated on a grand scale,” he said.
The Hindu calendar is also lunisolar, using both the moon’s and sun’s movements to determine festivals and auspicious times.
“This calendar also has an extra lunar month, known as the Adhik, every three years to keep it aligned with the solar year.
“However, the difference in timing is because the specific lunar calculations for the Ashwin month differ from the calculations for the Chinese calendar’s ninth lunar month,” he added.
