Phuket Vegetarian - Chapter Four
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A procession and the altar of Vegetarian Festival
A procession
The main purpose of a procession for this ceremony is to save mankind from sin, procession consists of …
1. Big palanquin or “Tua Lien”
A place for Kiw Ong Tai Te stay, so you can observe that in the middle of a palanquin has Chinese letters “Nine”, it referred to “Kiw Ong Tai Te” (9 Chinese Gods) and at the up of a palanquin embellished by 5 flags for 5 directions which represents to Gods or soldiers for that directions. This big palanquin will be in the end of a procession. People often light firecrackers when a procession passed for greeting.
2. Colorful flags
These flags will have Chinese letters “Kiw Ong Tai Te” who is a senior God of Vegetarian Festival that are…
- 1st , “Hok Hee See” the first important person in culture and teach villagers to make fishnet, purse net and respect a guardian spirit, god, father, mother, ancestor, dead relative person. Teach to propose marriage, education, make a contract, invent a Chinese cymbalo and he is an expert in an auspices or astrology,
- 2nd, “Yan Tee” King of Ieam Te Sin Long”, he can know about the past and future or Chinese astrology. An inventor of the plough handle and teach people to be the farmer and gardener, to domesticate animal, build an argosy or get rid of rebellions etc.
- 3rd, “Hin Huang Huang Tee” The King who is proficient in a war, get rid of rebellions. He is an inventor of compass, calendar, constellation, measure of Chinese unit, construct a palace, cart, medicine, and grow cotton and silk worm.
- 4th, “Sieng Hao, Sao Hao or King Kim Tek Ong” He commands his noble to embroider their clothes and hats as a swan by their ranks.
- 5th, “Kor Ieng Si, Chuang Si, King Yuan Yok Tee” All of 9 sons fight for quell rebellions and change the season to 4 seasons.
- 6th, “Tiew Kee, Tee Choo or King Tee Kok” Examine a land law, make a new treatise calendar for the agriculture and bring ore for using.
- 7th, “Ngiew Ong, Ieaw Tee or King Ngiew Te” Released prisoners, established a school for nobles, invented a new style calendar.
- 8th, “Chwin, Tai Soon or King Soon” An engineer who is gratefully to his parents.
- 9th, “Ooh, Sia Yee or King Ooh Te” The first creator who begin the Chinese dynasty or Chia dynasty, build a reservoir and drain system.
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Ma Song |
3. Black Flag
People call “Ong Leng”, Black Flag is a holy flag of Ma Song. On the flag there is Chinese letters that the present people can’t read it and it’s different each. They believe the Chinese letters are magic to chase a bad luck away. There are black flags for sell in the market but if you bought it you have to bring to “Huad Kua” to consecrate before and can do only at the midnight time of the fifth of the fifth lunar month on Chinese calendar. Black Flag is an equipment for invite god come and out from Ma Song also.
4. Ma Song Kang Kiew
As a bodyguard soldiers of Kiw Ong Tai Te, there are 4 persons that stand for guarding beside a palanquin all the time but they don’t show any power or hold any weapons like another Ma Songs.
5. Ma Song
A person who allows Gods use their bodies. Every Ma song has to wear a bib (Siw Tor) which is a soldier inside dress. Ma Song has a mentor at least 2 people (If there are many mentors, it means that God is very holy.)
A procession visit houses that there are tables in front of it.
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Worship Table
Besides flower, candle and joss stick, it often consists of Cinnamomum Porreetum Kosterm burning kiln (Fragrant plants that people believe in a holy plant.), 3 or 9 teacups (but people often use for odd number) and favorable fruits such as
- Pineapple (Ong Lai) means to “good luck”
- Orange (Kaam) means to “thank you”
- Kluai Leb Mu Nang or White banana (Cheiw) means to “Coming is good things coming)
For the tablecloth, people often use “Red” color and embroider 8 immortals of Chinese mythology.
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Every Ma Song has to wear a bib (Siw Tor) |
Ma Song shows her miracle by tortured herself for gain a bad luck instead of people and cleans her body.
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