The first day of the festival at Ampang Nan Tian Gong Nine Emperor Gods temple started off as a quite day immersed in prayers and offerings. However, the mood became very festive after 6pm, probably due to the next day being a public holiday in Malaysia for Awal Muharram. By 8pm, the crowds were surging in, the opera blaring away and incense smoke pouring through the vents and doors of the temple.
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| Devoted to her prayers... she is a picture of calm in the sea of moving devotees in the temple. |
Then a heavy downpour came and somewhat slowed everything down. It was more of a gridlock scenario as devotees crammed into whatever sheltered space available to avoid the rain. The crowd then slowly thins out as the night passes.
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| Peace (ie safety) wherever you go... a LED sign hanging from one of the stalls outside the temple. |
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| Reciting prayers to the Nine Emperor Gods. |
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| Yes or no.... the lady was throwing divination blocks to obtain an answer from the Nine Emperor Gods. |
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| Tortoise buns with lucky lottery number - a popular offering in this festival. |
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| The atmosphere of the temple at 7pm was rather quiet, as can be seen from this shot. |
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| The crowds came around 8pm... you could hardly move through the road without elbowing someone. |
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| A costume's equivalent of a bad hair day - Chinese opera actors and actresses were performing on stage. |
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| Reflections - after a heavy downpour. It didn't dampen the spirits of the visitors and they continued on despite the wet ground full of puddles. |
The second day will probably be more festive and crowded as there will be a procession at 7pm to invite the Finance Minister, Tian Fu Yuan Shuai.
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