JOHOR BARU: The scorching hot weather did not deter thousands of devotees and spectators from gathering at the city centre for the annual Chingay Festival.
Shouts of "heng ah" and "huat ah" (fortune and wealth in Hokkien) could be heard as the five deities on palanquins representing the Hainan, Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien and Teochew dialect clans were brought out of the Johor Ancient Temple in Jalan Trus.
The ritual, which began at 11am on Sunday (March 8), marks the third day of the festival.
The deities were brought by large groups of devotees on foot to Xing Gong temple in Jalan Ulu Air Molek, about 3.3km away.
The deities will be placed there for the night in preparation for the Chingay parade on Monday (March 9) evening.
Johor health and environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon, state investment, trade, consumer affairs and human resources committee chairman Lee Ting Han and Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah were among the participants.
Johor Baru Tiong-Hua Association president Chee Wing Kien said the third-day crowd was larger compared to last year.
"There were noticeably more people this time round, maybe because it is a Sunday.
"We hope the lively atmosphere will continue for tomorrow's parade starting at 7pm until late into the night," he said when met at the ancient temple.
Xing Gong temple is the starting point of the parade, also known as the climax of the festival, where tens of thousands of devotees and performers on foot and floats move along an 8km route in the city.
The over 150-year-old parade is an annual "tour" for the deities to bless the city and its people for the year.
The Chingay Festival is celebrated by the Chinese community in Johor Baru from the 18th to 22nd day of Chinese New Year.
This year, the festival falls on March 6 to March 10.
