Long Nan Dian 龙南殿 2017 [English Version]

Fig. 106: The sedan chair team members enter the inner chamber to collect their urn.

Fig. 107: The sedan team members carry the rocking sedan chair after collecting their urn.

Fig. 108: A vanguard purifies the area where the sedan chair teams make their round around the temple.

Fig. 109: A sedan chair team carries their sedan chair to a stop to pay respects and charges towards 3 times.

Fig. 110: The sedan chair team loading up their sedan chair onto their truck.

Taking Choa Chu Kang Doumu Palace (蔡厝港斗母宫) as an example, when Long Nan Dian reaches a hosting temple, the sequence is largely as follows:

1. The sedan chair teams enter the host temple one by one.
2. Long Nan Dian and the host temple’s vanguards, while facing each other, purify the entrance of the temple/festival space for Long Nan Dian’s sedan chair to enter (Fig. 111 and 112).

Fig. 111: Long Nan Dian’s vanguard

Fig. 112: Choa Chu Kang Doumu Palace’s vanguard.

3. The host temple’s chosen sedan chair team carries their sedan chair to meet Long Nan Dian‘s sedan chair (Fig. 113).

4. The Long Nan Dian sedan chair charges towards the altar(s) 3 times (Fig. 114).

5. The incense exchange (换香) ritual occurs (Fig. 115).

6. At the same time, there was a performance by Long Nan Dian’s big-headed dolls and temple helpers (Fig. 116 and 117).

Fig. 116: Big-headed dolls

Fig. 117: The temple helpers playing the music

7. A mass prayer session was held after all the sedan chairs have been parked (Fig. 118).

8. The vanguards for both Long Nan Dian and the host temple purify the entrance for the Long Nan Dian sedan chairs to exit (Fig. 119 and 120).

Fig. 119: Choa Chu Kang Doumu Palace’s vanguard

Fig. 120: Long Nan Dian’s vanguard

9. The host temple’s sedan chair team and Long Nan Dian’s sedan chair team charge towards each other as the Long Nan Dian sedan chair team exits (Fig. 121).

10. The sedan chair teams load up onto their truck and move on to the next temple (Fig. 122).

It should be noted that the sequence is not always the same for all the temples. For example, some temples may do the exchanging of incense after the mass prayer. Furthermore, some temples may not have a chosen sedan chair team to meet the visiting sedan chair teams. Not all of Long Nan Dian’s sedan chair teams will go down to the visiting temple if there are time constraints. Thus, the next sub-sections are focused on illustrating the unique aspects or special moments seen in each subsequent temple rather than going through the process of Yew Keng again.

Shin Sen Keng (神仙宫)

Fig. 123: The First chair entering Shin Sen Keng. Due to time constraints, only the First and Second chair entered the temple grounds.

Fig. 124: Exchange of incense at Shin Sen Keng.

Kim San Tze (金山寺)

Fig. 125: Kim San Tze’s 9 lamps and 5 flags

Fig. 126: Group shot between Long Nan Dian and Kim San Tze.

Nan Shan Hai Temple (南山海庙)

Fig. 127: Nan Shan Hai Temple’s Nine Emperor Gods altar.

Fig. 128: Group shot between Long Nan Dian and Nan Shan Hai Temple.

Yu Hai Tang Temple (玉海棠)

Fig. 129: Incense exchange at Yu Hai Tang Temple.

Fig. 130: When the sedan chairs exited Yu Hai Tang, the Yu Hai Tang temple helpers throw incense paper in the air to mark their exit.

Hougang Doumu Palace (后港斗母宫)

Fig. 131: The Eighth sedan chair charging towards the main altar at Hougang Doumu Palace 3 times.

Fig. 132: The sedan chair used to receive and send off Long Nan Dian’s sedan chairs was that for the Grand Marshall Tiandu (田都元帅).

Hong San Keong Temple (凤山宫)

Fig. 133: The Fourth sedan chair charges up the altar at Hong San Keong Temple 3 times.

Fig. 134: Mass prayer session under the many yellow lanterns at Hong San Keong Temple.

Sponsor’s altar

Fig. 135: The Long Nan Dian entourage took a short walk from Hong San Keong Temple to an altar set up for the company that provided the tent for the festival space. Along the way some people took out their phones and streamed the journey through Facebook Live.

Fig. 136: Representatives from the sponsor altar paying respects to the Sixth Emperor God palanquin in front of their altar.

Fig. 137: The altar for the sponsor.

Charn Mao Hern Kew Huang Keng (葱茅园九皇宫)

Fig. 138: Incense exchange at Charn Mao Hern Kew Huang Keng

Fig. 139: The Seventh sedan chair team charging up towards the main altar at Charn Mao Hern Kew Huang Keng and back down 3 times.