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Perak:Tow Boh Keong Temple Nine Emperor Gods Festival
From Malaysia - Wiki Street Food
The Nine Emperor Gods Festival(九王爷宝诞) is a nine-day celebration observed in Malaysia. One of the most famous Nine Emperor Gods temple in Ipoh, which is Tow Boh Keong(怡保斗母宫) celebrates this festival every year. On the eve of the ninth moon, Tow Boh Keong temple will hold a ceremony to invoke and welcome the nine emperors. A carnival-like atmosphere pervades the temple throughout the nine-day festival. During this period of time, the constant tinkling of a prayer bell and chants from the temple priests are heard. Most devotees stay at the temple, eat vegetarian meals and recite continuous chanting of prayer.
Since there are a lot of prayers will come or even stay in the temple within these nine days, there are a lot of temporarily vegetarian food stalls been setup around the temple, selling different kinds of vegetarian foods. When prayers reach the front entrance of the temple, they will be greeted by a row of steamed Bao stalls besides the main road. The initial purpose of buying this Bao is as tribute to the Nine Emperor Gods, but currently quite a lot of people also buy them just to serve their own stomach. The workers will steam and sell them on the spot , and all of these Bao are with attractive decoration. Some with bright coloring, some looks like a turtle and some with delicious filling.
Behind of the temple, there is a large vegetarian food court which sells many different kinds of vegetarian foods. For example various kind of fried noodles, human made vegetarian meat(斋料), Zhu Chang Fen(猪肠粉), soup based noodle, ice kacang, bean curd pudding and many others. Overall, the taste of the vegetarian foods here are great and it is not common to have so many different kinds of vegetarian foods selling under the same roof. Usually prayers will fill their tummy here after praying from the temple.
The ninth day of the festival is climax of this carnival-like celebration. A procession which draws scores of devotees send the deities back home. After that these stalls will also close and re-open again in next year's Nine Emperor Gods Festival.
Entrance to the temple
Crowded stall with attractive Bao
Red turtle bao stall
Steamed Bao which are still hot
Pandan Bao with attractive presentation
Vegetarian food court located behind the temple
Vegetarian food stall
Vegetarian food stall selling man made meat
Luohan Vegetarian dish (罗汉斋)
Fried silver noodle with fried Mian Jin(面筋)
Vegetarian fried curry mee
Soy milk stall uncle is running out of soy milk
Lovely and colorful Bao
Sunshine from outside of the temple
Prayers that queue to have a closer distance with the god
Chinese lamp
Interior of the temple
Another place to pray outside of the temple
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