Nine Emperors of the Gods Festival
Jorgensen, Dawn. 2020. “Thailand's Vegetarian Festival in Phuket. Not for the Faint-Hearted.: The Incidental Tourist.” The Incidental Tourist. Retrieved October 2, 2021 (https://theincidentaltourist.com/thailands-vegetarian-festival/).
Kay, Kirill. 2012. “Phuket Vegetarian Festival.” Nine Emperor Gods Festival in Phuket – Go Guides. Retrieved October 2, 2021 (https://www.hotels.com/go/thailand/phuket-vegetarian-festival).
Overview
The Nine Emperor Gods Festival is a religious celebration that occurs during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese year, generally between September and October, in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. This festival stems from Buddhist and Taoist beliefs and allows those who participate an opportunity to cleanse their spirit and mind, guaranteeing a prosperous and healthy future (We 2019). Some of the practices associated with the festival include abstaining from the consumption of meat and other substances in addition to self-mutilation, where various sharp objects are impaled through parts of the body including the cheeks, arms, legs, and even the tongue.
Meaning: Nine Emperor Gods
When hearing the term “The Nine Emperor Gods,” many would picture nine massive figures covered in jewels representing wealth and fortune sitting upon thrones covered in gold. However, this is far from the true depiction of these religious figures. Instead, each god is represented as a star in the sky. The legend of the Nine Emperor Gods begins with Dou Mu, the mother of stars and the great water spirit, who gave birth to her nine sons, which were also known as the Nine Human Sovereigns. Each son was given spiritual knowledge and became the beidou jiuxing, or star deities, which comprise the Northern dipper of the Western sky. Dou Mu controls the movement of the stars around the earth, specifically the North Pole, which alludes to her representation as the north star and a water spirit. Those who believe in the Nine Emperor Gods believe that the stars of the Northern Dipper control the destiny of the worshipers as well as their wealth and prosperity. The element of water is a symbol of life and death, making Dou Mu the protector of ships and seamen as well. Each year, for nine days, those who attend the Nine Emperor Gods festival worship to the star deities for a healthy and long life, offering their bodies and their vegetarianism in religious ritual practice (Lee 2011).
AFP. 2018. “Thailand Vegetarian Festival: Swords and Other Objects Used in Face-Piercing.” BBC News. Retrieved October 1, 2021 (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45836751).
AFP. 2020. “Sharp Objects & Hot Coal, This 'Vegetarian' Festival in Thailand Is Not for the Faint-Hearted.” IndiaTimes. Retrieved October 1, 2021 (https://www.indiatimes.com/trending/wtf/vegetarian-festival-phuket-thailand-525666.html).
Significance of the Festival
How are the Gods Connected?
According to Chinese Taoist belief, the Nine Gods themselves fall to Earth using the bamboo poles set around the Jui Tui Shrine square. Worshipers will volunteer their bodies to The Nine Gods as tribute (referred to as the Ma Song), and the Nine Gods will use those bodies as vessels to walk the Earth. During the ritual at the temples, the tributes are hypnotized by the Gods that embody them and pierce their bodies with sharp objects, such as knives and spears. These items usually carry personal significance and are primarily pierced through the cheeks of the vessels. The Ma Song then walk through the streets displaying their self-mutilation to the public to represent their submission to the star deities (Tong 1996). The festival is ultimately meant to "bridge the gap between humans and celestial beings" for the preservation and salvation of mankind (Iman 2019).
What Happens During the Festival?
In Thailand, the celebration of the Nine Gods is referred to as the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, which is held in Phuket Island. In addition to shrines, food stands line the streets of this city, offering vegetarian meals for all those who attend. Even the restaurants in this area close for the week in honor of the festival. Worshipers dressed in white and yellow gather at the Jui Tui Shrine in the town square for the grand opening of the festival (Thuan 2021). A giant pole made of bamboo stands as a beacon for those who come to honor the star deities, while flags are carried throughout the square. Parades, fireworks, dancing, and feasts are only a fraction of what all can be seen during the festival week.
What is the Significance of Body Modification?
Body modifications are purposeful and intentional alterations to the human body, and they are generally performed for religious beliefs, self-expression, rites of passage, or to display membership to a specific group. One of the more unique and memorable rituals performed during the festival is the body modifications of the Ma Song. During one of the larger rituals at the festival, the Ma Song will fall into a trance and allow themselves to be possessed by deities. While in the trance, swords, knives, ritual relics, and other items are pierced into the cheeks and other body parts of the Ma Song (Cohen 2012). The participants will then parade through the streets, demonstrating their sacrifice and devotion to the deities. The body modifications are meant to purify the body and soul and bring about prosperity, but ultimately the ritual is a testament to the devotion and loyalty of the Ma Song to the star deities.
Learn More
Watch highlights from the festival and see how they do the body piercings (Video to the left)
Mini documentary of the 2018 Thailand festival (Video to the Right)
Learn about the other three main star gods of China which represent Good Fortune, Emolument, and Longevity
See more images of the body piercing rituals performed during the festival
Works Cited
Cohen, Erik. 2012. “The Vegetarian Festival and the City Pillar: The Appropriation of a Chinese Religious Custom for a Cult of the Thai Civic Religion.” Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change 10(1):1–21 (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/239803243_The_Vegetarian_Festival_and_the_city_pillar_The_appropriation_of_a_Chinese_religious_custom_for_a_cult_of_the_Thai_civic_religion).
Iman, Kyle. 2019. “Nine Emperor Gods Festival: What Is It, and Why Are Devotees Running around in a Trance?” CILISOS. Retrieved October 1, 2021 (https://cilisos.my/this-little-known-chinese-festival-celebrates-robin-hood-gods-in-a-9-day-carnival).
Lee, Meiyu. 2011. “Nine Emperor Gods Festival.” Infopedia. Retrieved October 1, 2021 (https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1849_2011-10-21.html).
Thuan, Willy. 2021. “Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2021 - October 5 to 14.” PHUKET 101. Retrieved October 1, 2021 (https://www.phuket101.net/phuket-vegetarian-festival).
Tong, Cheu Hock. 1996. “The Festival of the Nine Emperor Gods in Malaysia: Myth, Ritual, and Symbol.” Asian Folklore Studies 55(1):49 (https://asianethnology.org/downlo-ads/ae/pdf/a1098.pdf).
We, Koh Keng. 2019. “The Nine Emperor Gods Festival.” ROOTS. Retrieved October 1, 2021 (https://www.roots.gov.sg/ich-landing/ich/the-nine-emperor-gods-festival).