Johor Bahru has a history and culture with a long-standing tradition.
Johor Bahru has a history and culture with a long-standing tradition.
The Chingay Festival originates from the five major clans in Johor Bahru among the Chinese communities, which were the Hokkien's Hong Xian Da Di, the Teochew's Yuan Tian Da Di, the Hakka's Gan Tian Da Di, the Guangdong's Hua Guang Da Di and the Hainan's Zhao Da Yuan Shuai with Yuan Tian as the main deity. The festival has over 100 years of history and tradition, with only a brief interruption during the 1942 Japanese occupation in Malaya, where the Chinese communities suffered greatly.
In the early days, when the Chinese immigrants left their homeland, they faced a difficult and hostile unfamiliar world. They often invited their hometown deity, known as "Lao Ye" to set up a temple in their settlement for protection. To prevent the deity from becoming unhappy staying in the temple for too long, every year during the Lunar New Year, there would be a temple festival, where the deity would be taken to the streets for a parade and to receive offerings and worship from the public.
In the early 20th century, Johor Bahru's Chingay Festival was influenced by British colonial rule and gradually developed into a bustling commercial center. With the independence of Singapore, Johor Bahru became part of Malaysia and continued to be an important commercial center.
In recent years, Johor Bahru has experienced rapid development and has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Malaysia. Today, Johor Bahru boasts a rich history, culture and tradition, while also being a busy commercial center. Visitors can experience Malaysia's unique culture and learn about the history and traditions of the Chingay Festival in Johor Bahru.
The Chingay Festival is an annual Lunar New Year festival that features a colorful parade in the city. During the festival, followers bring the five deities from the temple to their annual parade so that they can have fun and bless the city with peace, prosperity and harmony.
In the Chingay Festival in Johor Bahru, important activities include:
1. Lighting Ceremony of the Temporary Temple
Normally, the old temple in Johor Bahru is the main center for celebration activities, but as the temple cannot accommodate all the followers and worshipers, a temporary temple called Xing Gong has been set up outside the city.
2. Purification Ceremony
Two days before the actual Cleaning Festival, the streets will conduct a symbolic "street cleaning" ceremony, with 100 red-robed followers marching along a 10-kilometer route and sprinkling sacred water over it.
3. Ascension
After the cleaning, strong young men will enter the ancient temple in Johor Bahru, ready to transport the deity on their annual journey (by palanquin, heavy structures they carry the deity).
4. Overture parade
On the main night of the Cleaning Festival, one day before, worshipers (with designated T-shirts for 5 dialect families) will bring the deity from the ancient temple in Johor Bahru to the Xing Gong.
5. Night-time Celebration (Night Parade)
On the second day, which is the 21st day of the Lunar New Year, a grand ceremony will be held at night. Along with floats, dragon/lion dancers and music, followers continue to bring their deity along a 10-kilometer route around the city.
6. Return to Ancient Temple
The next morning at 11 o'clock, the faithful carried the deities again in the procession to the ancient temple in Johor Bahru. They arrived there around noon.
The total length of the Chingay Festival is 7.45 kilometers, with a total of 136 groups of floats and performance teams. The first to arrive were the Johor Bahru Hainan Association with 16 groups, followed by the Johor Bahru Guangzhou Association with 21 groups, the Johor Bahru Hakka Association with 13 groups, the Johor Bahru Fujian Association with 56 groups, and the Johor Bahru Chaozhou-Eight-Prefecture Association with 30 groups. The organizers predict that this year's attendance at the parade will reach 300,000. During the parade, there will be performances such as puppetry, dragon and lion dances, flag-waving, dancing, and bell ringing. The atmosphere of the night will be very lively, with the audience constantly shouting "Heng Ah! Huat Ah!", and those carrying the palanquins will vigorously sway them, praying for a better year to come. The belief that it will not rain during the gods' night parade adds a magical color to the event.
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