The History of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival in Malaysia

Festivals throughout the world are a great time for people to come together, have fun, relax and in many cases, pay respects in accordance to one’s religion. In Malaysia, the Festival of the Nine Emperor Gods is widely popular and celebrated by the Chinese community.

The Festival is named Jiuhuangye and is a form of a temple fair held at temples to these gods. The purpose of this festival, in its simplest terms, is to provide a venue for the annual renewal of cosmic power which rejuvenates human life and allows human conflicts to be resolved.

The festival structure consists of two concentric circles. The inner circle represents the core of the religious worship (baibai) whilst the outer circle symbolises the economic activity. A devout believer may stay in the inner circle to meditate, study the scriptures, and interact with other followers in the venues provided. The second circle is full of peddlers, incense-stall keepers, and other smaller businesses. All participants in this festival are required to donate a sum of money to maintain luck, to dissolve ill luck, and to give thanks. Therefore, the festival itself could be seen as an economically motivated fair as well as a religious celebration. 

The festival is held on the last day of the 8th lunar month (usually the 28th or 29th). It stars with the erection of a large lamp (named gaodeng or jiuqudeng) which is placed at the left of the festival square. It is here that a consecration ritual is performed to purify the temple grounds and deploy the spirit soldiers of heaven and earth, water and fire to the five ritual sites. The inner altar is dedicated to Doumu, the Mother of the Big Dipper; the central altar is dedicated to the Jade Emperor, the God of Fate, Fude Zhengshen and Guanyin (also known as Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion); the outer altar is dedicated to Tiangong, the Sky Deity; the star deities altar is dedicated to Beidou (the Big Dipper) and Nandou (the Southern Dipper); and the tall lamp is dedicated to Tianguan Cifu, who is the Heavenly Official Who Confers Luck.

The celebration officially begins with the staging of the Amoy opera on the first day of the ninth moon. On the third, sixth and ninth days, a special feast named the koujun is held in honour of the spirit soldiers and laity. On the 10th day, the festival officially ends with the taking down of the tall lamp and the rite which recalls the spirit soldiers from their posts.

There are three major different versions of the myth surrounding the festivals origins; these are the classic version, the Han version and the Nan Tian Gong version. There are also several other versions which do not hold as much sway as do the former three. These include the Penang version and the Ampang version.

There are several different rituals that are performed during the Nine Emperor Gods festival. These are the Welcoming Ritual, the Worship Ritual, the Trance Ritual, Luck Rituals, Purification rituals and the Sending off Rituals. Each rite has its own significance are all are equally as important throughout the festival.

The origins of the festival can be found back in the legends of the Nine Human Sovereigns, to the historical events during the Han and Ming dynasties, and the circumstances of the Chinese migration into Malaysia.