Tesagan Gin Je
Phuket's Nine Emperor Gods Festival
Phuket sounds like it’s under siege, with firecrackers going off continually and smoke rising everywhere. People walk by with all manner of piercings through their cheeks and skin, blood dripping down their backs from self flagellation with axes and blood streaming down their chests. But all is well and this is the time of Phuket’s most important festival.
Phuket’s Vegetarian festival began in 1825, when the island’s principal town moved to Kathu, a tin mining district still covered by jungle where fever was rife. A Chinese traveling opera company came to perform for the miners. When the whole opera company grew sick they kept to a vegetarian diet to honour two of the Emperor Gods and the sickness disappeared. The reason for the recovery, they discovered, was the ritual vegetarianism with its accompanying ceremonies. The annual festival began.
Today over a third of the 600,000 population of Phuket are Thai Chinese. The festival takes place during the first nine days of the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar (late September or October). The festival is a devotion to the Nine Emperor Gods with the purification of individuals and communal spaces. Devotees wear white clothing and stick to a strict form of vegetarianism called Je, which is anything other than meat, poultry, seafood, dairy produce and food with a strong smell like garlic. It should be prepared in the sacred kitchen of a Chinese temple and undergone a series of rituals.
There are many ceremonies during the festival and throughout there are fireworks and drums - the louder the better, because the noise drives away evil spirits. Ma Song, or mediums, are devotees whom the gods enter during the festival. They manifest supernatural powers and perform self-mutilation in order to move evil from individuals onto themselves, and to bring their community good luck.
The festival is changing and several of the local leaders of the shrines are concerned about over commercialisation with corporate sponsorship as well as a focus on business and individual profit, especially through food that is not Je. There is also some concern as to the motivation of some of the people taking part. Is it in devotion to the gods or to their peers? The people I met were devoted to the festival and were very welcoming into their homes, their lives and patient in helping me understand what their very special festival meant to them.
The afternoon before the festival begins, the gold covered Go Teng pole at each temple is raised and the gods are invited to descend. The Jui Tui shrine in the centre of Phuket plays a key role in the festival.
Before the start of the festival people come and pay their respects and add gold leaf to the Go Teng pole at the Jui Tui Shrine, one of the oldest in Phuket.
The sacred kitchen at the Ngor Hian Shrine in Ban Kien village when the women prepare food for after the street procession.
The festival is a devotion to the Nine Emperor Gods with the purification of individuals and communal spaces. Devotees wear white clothing and stick to a strict form of vegetarianism called Je, which is anything other than meat, poultry, seafood, dairy produce and food with a strong smell like garlic. It should be prepared in the sacred kitchen of a Chinese temple and undergone a series of rituals.
Bogie is possed by his god in the shrine before going on the street procession.
Bogies (35) has been a DJ at the local radio station since 2004. He recently opened the R&B cafe, his new restaurant with live music.
About 19 years ago he had a dream where a god told him he should be a Ma Song. A few years later he went to the temple and felt something bad happen to him. After talking to an advisor at the temple he was told he needed to be a Ma Song to extend his life.
When his family were first told they didn't accept it and they had a lot of arguments. His Mum said if she wins the lottery then she will accept it - she won the lottery. He felt scared for the first few festival and it took 3 years to fully accept the gods into his life. He is proud to be a part of the festival and keep the tradition alive.
Whilst Bogie is possessed by his god, he has supernatural powers and performs blade cutting.
This ritual is believed to move evil from individuals onto themselves and to bring their community good luck.
One of the most spectacular event of the festival are the street processions. People set up alters in front of their houses and the community can receive blessings from the gods through the Ma Song.
The street procession from Ngor Hian Shrine around Ban Kien village.
The Sedan chair (Tai Pian) is in the centre of the procession and contain the god’s. Throughout the festival fireworks and drums are sounded, especially during ceremonies. The louder the better, because the noise drives away evil spirits.
A Ma Song gives blessings to on lookers of the street procession. Ma Songs, or mediums, are devotees whom the gods enter during the festival. They manifest supernatural powers and perform self-tortures in order to shift evil from individuals onto themselves, and to bring the community good luck.
One of the most spectacular event of the festival are the street processions. People set up alters in front of their houses and the community can receive blessings from the gods through the Ma Song.
Ma Song, or mediums, are devotees whom the gods enter during the festival. They manifest supernatural powers and perform self-mutilation, including piercings and blade cutting, in order to move evil from individuals onto themselves and to bring their community good luck.
The Ma Song’s robes at the Chern Thalay shrine.
Ma Song, or mediums, are devotees whom the gods enter during the festival. They manifest supernatural powers and perform self-mutilation, including piercings, in order to move evil from individuals onto themselves and to bring their community good luck.
A young Ma Song is carried on the shoulders of one of his follower during an evening street processions around Phuket Town.
One of the evening street processions around Phuket Town. Several of the Ma Song talked about how the festival is becoming commercialised with too much advertising and sponsorship. Some of the temple officials are concerned about the motivation of some of the younger Ma Song and question if their devotion is to the gods or to their peers.
The Sedan chair (Tai Pian) is in the centre of the procession and contain the god’s. Throughout the festival fireworks and drums are sounded, especially during ceremonies. The louder the better, because the noise drives away evil spirits.
The street procession from Ngor Hian Shrine around Ban Kien village.
The Sedan chair (Tai Pian) is in the centre of the procession and contain the gods. Throughout the festival fireworks and drums are sounded, especially during ceremonies. The louder the better, because the noise drives away evil spirits.
Ma Song, or mediums, are devotees whom the gods enter during the festival. They manifest supernatural powers and perform self-mutilation, including piercings, in order to move evil from individuals onto themselves and to bring their community good luck.
One of the most spectacular event of the festival are the street processions.
The Sedan chair (Tai Pian) is in the centre of the procession and contain the god’s.
Ma Songs on the street procession through the centre of Phuket.
Ma Song, or mediums, are devotees whom the gods enter during the festival. They manifest supernatural powers and perform self-mutilation, including piercings, in order to move evil from individuals onto themselves and to bring their community good luck.
Ma Song, or mediums, are devotees whom the gods enter during the festival. They manifest supernatural powers and perform self-mutilation, including piercings, in order to move evil from individuals onto themselves and to bring their community good luck.
Here the is a large team of followers, all indicated by matching T shirts with the gun logo.
Some of the temple officials are concerned about the motivation of some of the younger Ma Song and question if their devotion is to the gods or to their peers.
Young devotees are very proud of their cars.
At the end of the procession at the Saphan Hin park, a team of medical personnel are on hand to help remove objects involved in the piercings.
The squares of paper are used to ensure the mobile shrines and other sacred objects are off the floor and kept clean. During the Farewell Rituals they are burnt.
The bladed ladder climbing ceremony Samkong shrine.
Ma Song queue up to take part in the bladed ladder climbing ceremony Samkong shrine.
The bladed ladder climbing ceremony Samkong shrine.
The bladed ladder climbing ceremony Samkong shrine.
The Fire-Walking Ritual takes place on the sixth day of the festival. Those that are pure and follow the precepts of the festival will be safe from any serious burns.
A very young Ma Song is possessed by an even younger child god, indicated by the dummy.
An evening street procession returning to the Jui Tui shrine.
Manous Akis supports the Ma Song, Aek Ach Ai Oungsakul at the ceremonial bridge-crossing ritual (Koi Harn) which takes place on the ninth day of the festival. Devotees crossing the bridge are cleansed from impurities and misfortunes. Once crossing the bridge, a red stamp of the Nine Emperor Gods’ seal (or imperial seal) will be stamped at the back of the devotees to signify that they are purified from sins and calamities that might happen to them.
Manous talks of an increasing problem of fake Ma Song and the festival become more of a business, however his shrine is very strict with only about 100 Ma Song where everyone knows each other.
The Fire-Walking Ritual takes place on the sixth day of the festival. Those that are pure and follow the precepts of the festival will be safe from any serious burns.
After the street processions or rituals the gods leave the Ma Song, often very dramatically.
Ma Song can be men, women or children and are devotees whom the gods enter during the festival. They manifest supernatural powers and perform self-mutilation, including piercings and blade cutting, in order to move evil from individuals onto themselves and to bring their community good luck.
Part of the the festival’s Farewell Ritual includes sending off the Nine Emperors on a body of water, here by the sea at Saphan Hin.
Part of the the festival’s Farewell Ritual includes sending off the Nine Emperors on a body of water, here by the sea at Saphan Hin.
Part of the the festival’s Farewell Ritual includes sending off the Nine Emperors on a body of water, here by the sea at Saphan Hin.