Today's post revolves around the last S or the 3Ses - Savour. What is there to savour at Ampang Nine Emperor Gods Festival, you may ask? Well plenty. The first thing to savour is the atmosphere created through the devotees that are driven by faith. The zeal and fervour of the faithful gives this temple a carnival-like appeal. Some go into a trance-like state in front of the altar whilst others bring huge offerings as tokens of gratitude. No less are those who give donations that is acknowledged by the ringing of the temple bell and drum.
Next thing that must be savoured, and this can take several visits, is the food. Food is everywhere, and just like the faithful, pervades every corner of the temple grounds. All nine days isn't enough to try everything edible sold here. Perhaps that is the reason why people keep coming back year after year.
Last but not the least is fun aspect of it. If you do come to Ampang Nan Tian Gong Temple, you will be amazed at how a simple festival becomes a healthy family outing as both the young andold gracefully matured are catered for. Also do not fret if you are not vegetarian, for the mock meat stuff are pretty good and there are stalls selling non-vegetarian stuff on the stretch of road fronting the Ampang Old Folks Home.
If you are free on Saturday (20th October), do visit the temple in the aftertoon (1.30ish) to see the feeding of the heavenly soldiers. To see pictures of previous year's event, visit Cheryl's site here.
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| By the power of...Kow Ong Yeh...I have the power! - a devotee touched by the divine during prayers. |
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| Assistants: Oh boy, I am gonna be famous! Priest: When will this crazy guy stop taking photos. He must have a million shots of me and the prayers. Me: Since I am a bad photographer, I use the rule of probability to get a good shot, the probability being less than 1 in 380 shots or so for a particular scene :-p |
Next thing that must be savoured, and this can take several visits, is the food. Food is everywhere, and just like the faithful, pervades every corner of the temple grounds. All nine days isn't enough to try everything edible sold here. Perhaps that is the reason why people keep coming back year after year.
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| Stuffed vegetables, tofu and dumplings. You will never be hungry at this festival. Just don't forget to bring your wallet. |
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| Chinese chestnut - the smell of it roasting will make you want to grab some. Pictured here are raw chestnuts and a colander of washed gravel. The gravel is used to transfer heat evenly to the chestnut as it is being stirred in a hot wok. |
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| Local sweet cakes that is eaten with grated coconut. A good dessert for those with a sweet tooth or wants a sugar rush. |
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| Vegetarian mix rice at the temple fair. |
Last but not the least is fun aspect of it. If you do come to Ampang Nan Tian Gong Temple, you will be amazed at how a simple festival becomes a healthy family outing as both the young and
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| If you have not tried Ai-Yu jelly in Taiwan, here's the place where you can have a try. |
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| Playing a game of hide-and-seek with the photographer. Gotcha!!! I told her that she looks pretty in the photo, like a 16-year-old princess. |
If you are free on Saturday (20th October), do visit the temple in the aftertoon (1.30ish) to see the feeding of the heavenly soldiers. To see pictures of previous year's event, visit Cheryl's site here.
My links for the 2012 Nine Emperor Gods Festival @ Ampang Nan Tian Gong
- Pre-festival: The Calm Before Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2012
- Pre-festival: Ready, Get Set for Kew Ong Yeah
- Pre-festival: There's Just a Few More Hours
- Eve - Raising the Lantern Pole
- Eve - A Royal Invitation
- Day 1 - Wet, Smoky and Crowded
- Day 2 - Invitation of the Finance Minister
- Day 3
- Day 4
- Day 5 (this post)
- Day 6 - A report on the Feeding of the Heavenly Soldiers
- Day 7
- Day 8 - Crossing the Bridge Ceremony
- Day 9 - Fire Crossing
- Day 9 - Round and Round and the rest
- Day 10 - Sending the Nine Emperor Gods Off
- Day 10 - Taking Down the Lantern Pole
Its interesting to see how everyday the festival progressing.
ReplyDeleteCoop up in the lab this week so boring.
At least I can kill time during incubations reading your post.