JOHOR BARU: The streets of Johor Baru have been “cleansed” with grains of rice and water steeped with tea leaves to pave the way for the annual Chingay parade.
Members of the Johor Ancient Temple committee and devotees conducted the ritual yesterday, setting the stage for tomorrow evening’s parade.
Johor Baru Tiong-Hua Association president Chee Wing Kien, who leads the organising committee, said that during the parade, the five deities from the five main Chinese dialect clans would be brought for a tour of the city to bless the place and its people.
“For the cleansing ritual, we used pomelo leaves to sprinkle water, which has been blessed, from the ancient temple in Jalan Trus to Xing Gong Temple in Jalan Ulu Air Molek,” he said at the ceremony yesterday.
Johor investment, trade, consumer affairs and human resources committee chairman Lee Ting Han said the festival stands as one of the most significant events and cultural representations of Johor Baru’s Chinese community over the past 150 years.
“The festival has developed into more than just a religious ritual – it has become a celebration of culture and a symbol of cultural identity,” Lee said.
He added that beyond the parade, there would be the participation of tens of thousands of devotees and more than 90 colourfully decorated floats.
The Chingay Festival is celebrated in Johor Baru from the 18th to the 22nd day of Chinese New Year (March 6-10 this year).
The deities will return to the Johor Ancient Temple on Tuesday to conclude the festival.
