1. -THE NINE EMPEROR GODS-
>The Nine Emperor Gods Festival (Nine Emperor Gods:
Chinese: 九皇爺; pinyn: Jiǔhuángyé; Peh-oe-ji : Káu-ông-iâ;
Cantonese :Kow Wong Yeh) is a nine-day Taoist celebration
beginning on the eve of 9th lunar month of the Chinese
calendar which is observed primarily in Southeast Asian
countries like Myanmar , Singapore, Malaysia , Southern
Vietnam , Indonisia and Thailand.
-Introduction to the Nine Emperor Gods-
***THE NINE EMPEROR GODS Jiǔ Huáng Xīng Jūn / Jiǔ
Huáng Da Di (九皇星君/九皇大帝) are the nine sons
manifested by Father Emperor Zhou Yu Dou Fu Yuan Jun(斗
父周御國王天尊) and Mother of the Big Dipper Dou Mu
Yuan Jun (斗母元君) who holds the Registrar of Life and
Death. The worship of Dou Fu Yuan Jun has declined strongly
as proper teachings of Taoism degenerate since being exported
out of China. Today, most Nine Emperor God temples do not
acknowledge the existence of Dou Fu Yuan Jun.
-However, Dou Fu Yuan Jun is invoked alongside Dou Mu
Yuan Jun in Great Dipper Honouring known as Li Dou (禮斗)
ceremonies. According To Priest Long Hua, the 35th
Generation Leader of Long Shan Men Taoist Sect (Singapore),
honouring the Northern Dipper stars prolongs one's life,
eliminate calamities, and absolves sins and past debts of

2. oneself and his family.
-The term Ye (爺) as in Jiu Huang Ye (九皇爺) loosely
translates as "Grandfather", a title worshipers commonly use
to bring a more intimate relationship between themselves and
the Nine Emperors.
-The Nine Emperor Gods should not be mixed up with the
Wang Ye or Princes of the Ming rebels. Popular folk culture
has it that the Nine Emperor Gods are actually sea pirates of
the Ming dinasty that plotted to overthrow the Qing dynasty .
-According to Priest Long Hua, this information is inaccurate
and considered derogatory to the actual teachings of Taoism as
the Nine Emperor Gods are actually high-ranking Star Lords
who preside over the movement of planets and coordinate
mortal Life and Death issues.
-The Nine Emperors is formed by the seven stars of the Big
Dipper of the North Ursa Major (visible) and two assistant
stars (invisible to most people).
*The Nine Emperor Stars are:
1-Tan Lang Tai Xing Jun (貪狼太星君)1st Star (Visible)
Bayer: α Uma
2-Ju Men Yuan Xing Jun (巨門元星君) 2nd Star (Visible)
Bayer: β Uma

3. 3-Lu Cun Zhen Xing Jun (祿存貞星君) 3rd Star (Visible)
Bayer: γ Uma
4-Wen Qu Niu Xing Jun (文曲紐星君) 4th Star (Visible)
Bayer: δ Uma
5-Lian Zhen Gang Xing Jun (玉廉貞綱星君) 5th Star(Visible)
Bayer: ε Uma
6-Wu Qu Ji Xing Jun (武曲紀星君) 6th Star(Visible) Bayer: ζ
Uma
7-Po Jun Guan Xing Jun (破軍關星君) 7th Star (Visible)
Bayer: η Uma
8-Zuo Fu Da Dao Xing Jun (左輔大道星君) 8th Star
(Invisible)
9-You Bi Da Dao Xing Jun (右弼大道星君) 9th Star
(Invisible)Nine Emperor Gods Festival celebration in popular
folk culture.
-On the eve of the ninth moon, temples of the deities hold a
ceremony to invoke and welcome the nine emperors. Since the
arrival of the gods is believed to be through the waterways,
processions are held from temples to the sea shore or river to
symbolize this belief.
-Devotees dressed in traditional white, carrying incense and
candles, await the arrival of their excellencies.-A carnival-like
atmosphere pervades the temple throughout the nine-day
festival.
-During this period of time, the constant tinkling of a prayer

4. bell and chants from the temple priests are heard. Most
devotees stay at the temple, eat vegetarian meals and recite
continuous chanting of prayer.
It is believed that there will be rain throughout the nine days
of celebration.
-The ninth day of the festival is its climax.
A procession which draws scores of devotees sends the deities
back home.
-Celebration in Thailand-
In Thailand, this festival is called thetsakan kin che , the
Vegetarian Festival. It is celebrated throughout the entire
country, but the festivities are at their height in Phuket, where
about 35% of the population is Thai Chinese.
-It attracts crowds of spectators because of many of the
unusual religious rituals that are performed.
-In accordance with the traditions, many religious devotees
will perform ritualized mutilation upon themselves and one
another (with the consent of,context and understanding of all
involved and the practice itself) while under a trance-like
state, including but not limited to:
Impaling through cheeks, arms, face, legs, back etc., with
everything from as small as syringes to as large as is agreed
upon between all members; partial skinning (the skin is not
removed, just cut and flipped over); slashing of limbs, chest,
stomach and especially tongue with swords, axes and knives;
bloodletting; removal of tissue (normally limited to cysts) and

5. intentionally wrapping or standing near fire crackers as they
are lit.
-This is done without anesthetic, always inside or near the
temples surrounded by other devotees with only iodine,
petroleum jelly and surgical gloves as precautionary measures.

6. -Despite this scenario, many of the same people performing
the rituals are also the people who will care for many of the
people in their recovery.
-The actual impaling is done by doctors and physicians in the
community, is planned out for weeks if not months in advance
and medical teams are present in and around temple grounds
for the entire time of the festival, with spectators frequently
needing more help than the devotees, who remain in a trance
during this process and are monitored through the entire event
in case they should drop out of concentration, in which case
they are immediately taken to medical professionals regardless
of the circumstances to minimize post trance bleeding.
To this effect few people ever need to have prolonged medical
treatment, and although in the weeks after the festival many
people will be seen covered in bandages, scarring is
uncommon, stitching, even on individual devotees who impale
their cheeks, is rare, and return to daily activity for the
devotees occurs shortly after the completion of the ritual,
frequently before the festival ends unless performed on the last
days, much sooner than before the bandages themselves are
removed.
The purpose of this practice is a mixture of veneration for
their gods and ancestors, to display their devotion to their
beliefs and the trance itself, which although anecdotal in
nature to what is experienced, has a profound impact upon
demeanour for days or weeks after, frequently with devotees
appearing exceptionally calm and focused in their day-to-day
activities after the festival is completed.

7. -During a period of nine days, those who are participating in
the festival dress all in white and ghin jeh , which has come to
be translated as abstinence from eating meat, poultry, seafood,
and dairy products.
-Vendors and proprietors of restaurants indicate that jeh food
is for sale at their establishments by putting a yellow flag out
with the word (jeh) written on it in red.
-However, technically, only food prepared in the sacred
kitchen of the Chinese Temple (in Thailand, called sarnjao or
um ) is jeh, as it must undergo a series of rituals before it can
be given that name.
-MASONG-
Masong are the people who invite the spirits of gods to possess
their bodies. Ma is the word for horse in Thai, and the name
masong refers to how the spirits of the gods use the bodies of
these people as a vehicle, as one rides a horse. Only pure,
unmarried men or women without families of their own can
become masong. At the temple they undergo a series of rituals
to protect them for the duration of the festival, during which
flagellation and self-mutilation is practiced.
The masong tradition doesn't exist in China and is believed to
have been adopted from the Indian festival of THAIPUSAM.
The festivities in Phuket include a procession of masong
wearing elaborate costumes who pierce their cheeks and
tongues with all manner of things, including swords, banners,
machine guns, table lamps, and flowers. While the face is the
most common area pierced, some also pierce their arms with

8. pins and fishhooks.
Teams of people accompany the masong to keep their wounds
clean and to help support the heavier piercings. It is believed
that while they are possessed the masong will not feel any pain.
They can also be seen shaking their heads back and forth
continually, and usually do not seem to "see" their
surroundings. At the temple during the festival there is also
firewalking and blade-ladder climbing. While large crowds of
people gather to watch, the entranced mah song distribute
blessed candy and pieces of orange cloth with Chinese
characters printed on for good luck.
CARLO M. ROSA
-AN IMPORTANT ADDENDUM:
The images attached to "this my work-product in Thailand
within three years-The Vegetarian Festival-, are only a small
part of the work itself.”
Not being a "lover" of the digital age, much of my work has
been produced in analog, "with" the range finder-Contaxt G-2
"that has a far superior to any digital camera-without having
to use Photoshop":so being my Stock Photo very LARGE ", I
have digitized only 30% of the archive itself.
Thank you.