THIS week I thought I’d talk about two festivals that often fall around the same time – Navaratri, a Hindu festival, and the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, which is primarily Taoist.
Though different in their beliefs and traditions, both festivals fall around the same time and invite people to pause, pray, practise restraint and open their homes and temples to others. I find their striking similarities and differences fascinating.
Navaratri means nine nights and marks the nine-day battle between the goddess Durga and the demon Mahishasura. The tenth day, Vijayadashami, celebrates her victory.
In many South Indian homes, the festival comes alive through Golu, a stepped display of dolls – clay, wooden and sometimes heirlooms passed down from grandmothers. They are arranged on an odd number of steps, usually three, five, seven or nine.
There is a logic to the arrangement: animals occupy the lower steps, people and saints are placed above them, while goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati sit near the top.
Some displays are simple; others take over the living room. Nobody is judging the spectacle – well, perhaps someone is. But Golu is less about decoration than the stories it tells.
Here’s the part I like. In many homes, Navaratri is women’s business: they organise prayers, host visits and dress up to go from house to house admiring the Golu. You sit awhile, perhaps sing a song, and chat. Each day brings a different mix of sweet and savoury treats, followed by a small parting gift called thamboolam.
But thamboolam is more than a goodie bag; it carries deep cultural significance. It typically includes betel leaves, areca nut, turmeric, kumkum (the red powder worn on the forehead), flowers, fruit and small keepsakes.
Many families also include a sumangali set for married women, with a blouse piece, mirror, comb, bangles and a small kumkum box.
Each item has a meaning. Turmeric and kumkum symbolise good fortune and a long, happy married life while the coconut represents prosperity and fertility.
The betel leaf and areca nut seal the visit like a friendly pact. Giving thamboolam says, “I’m glad you came”; receiving it affirms a woman’s status as a sumangali and signals that her presence is valued and welcome.
Now, the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, known in Hokkien as Kaw Ong Ya, honours nine star deities associated with the Big Dipper, believed to govern fate and longevity.
On the eve of the festival, devotees welcome the Gods from the sea or a river and escort them to the temple. For nine days, many observe zhai jie, abstaining from meat and alcohol as part of a vegetarian diet.
Temples bustle with processions, chanting and yellow banners. Some feature fire-walking and piercing rituals. On the ninth day, the Gods are sent back to the water, with devotees wearing white and yellow sashes. It is a solemn, vibrant and deeply communal celebration.
So, what do these festivals have in common?
Both last nine days and follow lunar calendars, so they often overlap, though a leap month can shift their timing.
Both call for restraint: many Hindus avoid meat and alcohol during Navaratri while Taoist devotees observe a vegetarian diet during the Nine Emperor Gods Festival.
Both involve water rituals, bring communities together and encourage spiritual cleansing and prayers for protection.
But their differences matter. Each faith has its own stories and traditions. Navaratri’s Golu and thamboolam, in particular, place women at the heart of the festivities, celebrating friendship, marital bonds and mutual respect.
The Nine Emperor Gods Festival, meanwhile, unites temple communities through shared abstinence and a grand, noisy send-off.
This week, if you receive thamboolam, appreciate its meaning. If you spot yellow banners near a temple, pause and look. Two festivals, nine nights, the same moon, different prayers. These are the traditions we should appreciate and cherish as Malaysians.
Dr Bhavani Krishna Iyer holds a doctorate in English literature. Her professional background encompasses teaching, journalism and public relations. She is currently pursuing a second master’s degree in counselling. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com