PENANG: The Nine Emperor Gods Festival or “Kao Ong Eah” in the Hokkien dialect, is a tradition that has roots in Taoist tradition. This year’s festival started on Oct 15 and devout Taoists, including Buddhists, believe this to be an auspicious time to undergo a nine-day spiritual cleansing and transformation journey.
They immersed themselves in prayer and adopted a strict vegetarian diet. This age-old custom, which begins on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese Lunar calendar, has been passed down through the centuries and is engrained in the Taoist way of life. Coincidentally, from Oct 15 to 24, the Hindu community in Penang also observing a 10-day vegetarian diet in conjunction with the Navarathiri Festival.
Many stalls were set up near Sien Chye Tong Temple to cater to devotees who observed a full or partial nine-day vegetarian diet.
