THE Festival of the Nine Emperor Gods, a Chinese festival celebrated in some 50 temples in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, culminates on the ninth day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar.

Some 50,000 people thronged the Kau Ong Ya Temple in Ampang, Kuala Lumpur over 10 days, including the eve of the first day of the festival.

The festival’s highlight, the fire-walking ceremony, is held on the evening of the ninth day of the celebration, and is performed as a rite of cosmic renewal and rebirth, or “cleansing processions”.

By walking over the fire, believers enact the victory of good over evil, while the community is cleansed by magical implication. – November 2, 2017.