Saturday, October 31, 2009

Nine Gods Festival

 The Nine Gods Festival, a celebration of nine days starting with the welcoming of the deities from rivers – with triangular flags lining the streets and people becoming vegetarians… (only temporarily) – and ends, with the deities sent back to the rivers with long procession march down the streets to rivers.
I was in Alor Star when the sending back march occurred on Monday, so that’s where I shot this. As if part of the festival, it would almost always rain during the march of the deities back to the rivers. Luckily it was only drizzling and with the trees above, I was sheltered.


Rain? Just take out the umbrellas.
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Treat or tricks?
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Even the Indians would come for performance.
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Flag – see him trying to balance it on his palm, on his head, or use his mouth…
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The ambitious ones would try more daring moves.
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A family of three fixated on the marching performances.
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The “possessed” mediums for the deities.
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The “goddess” sprinkling blessing water onto the crowd – and she also “blessed” my camera…
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Well, the whole marching procession took more than an hour just to move pass a point, that’s also the duration I stayed for it.

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