1st March 2013 (Chingay JB Day 1)
The movement of the five Gods from the Ancient Temple was carried out as planned starting sharp at 11am in the presence of large crowds, and the procession was finished by 1pm. Prayers at the
Xing Gong continued after that.
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| Awaiting the procession from the JB Ancient Temple |
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| Almost ready! |
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| It begins |
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| Hua Guang Da Di leaves the Ancient temple |
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| Hong Xian Da Di |
The procession exited the JB Ancient Temple, and proceeded northwards up Jalan Trus. The crowd was massive. Standing room only!
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| Hua Guang Da Di |
Sound effects: Drums and firecrackers.
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| Pretty Lions |
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| Hong Xian Da Di |
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| Top Of The World |
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| Above all |
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| Dragons move across the city |
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| Up the Tun Razak Highway towards Xing Gong |
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Gan Tian Da Di- Crossing the Inner Ring Road |
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| Gan Tian Da Di |
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| A temporary shrine along the route |
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| Prayers en route |
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| Forwards! |
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| Almost there. |
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| The calm before the storm: Xing Gong before the arrival of the procession |
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Arrival of Zhao Da Yuan Shuai
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Once the Deities are in position, prayers of thanks are offered to commemorate their safe arrival.
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| Photo opportunity |
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| Dragons pay respect |
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| More arrivals |
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| Hong Xian Da Di |
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| On standby |
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| "And then..." |
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| Sea of devotees |
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| Chinese opera stars perform at the stage |
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| Hong Xian Da Di |
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| Yuan Tian Shang Di |
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| Yuan Tian Shang Di |
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| The throng in the huge courtyard of Xing Gong |
There was some quite torrential rain in the afternoon, drying out all the moisture that had been building up in the sky.
2nd March 2013 (Chingay JB Day 2)
The morning was clear with blue skies, which was great for the devotees streaming in to offer their prayers at
Xing Gong.
The sun gave way to rain which started at about 4pm, and which turned rather heavy. This rain usually comes, to clean the streets before the procession. As by clockwork, the weather cleared by 6pm, and the Procession of the Deities proceeded unimpeded. This really is the People's Parade- the marchers were male and female, young and old. People on foot, people on mechanised conveyances.
The Guest of Honour was Johor Chief Minister Dato Abdul Ghani Othman. The official ceremony began with speeches from the Reviewing Stage opposite City Square at 9pm.
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| Tionghua Association President Tan Ik Kim |
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| Johor Chief Minister Dato' Abdul Ghani Othman |
There was a huge LCD screen opposite the stage, with live feeds from broadcast cameras.
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| Awaiting the order to proceed |
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| State Assemblyman YB Tan Cher Puk and the men who keep you safe |
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| Drummer boys |
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| Leading the way |
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| Grrrrl power |
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| Send in the clowns |
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| Swoosh! |
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Zhao Da Yuan Shuai
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| Did I say there was a huge number of people? |
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| Big-headed doll on mechanised transport |
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| Land of the giants |
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| And now,, a word from your popular radio station... |
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| Money grows on trees? |
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| Dragon on wheels |
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| Resplendent in white |
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| Ultimately, this is why we are all here... |
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| I was Marty McFly's car in another life... |
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| We twirl. |
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Ready... steady... go!!! Yuan Tian Shang Di
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| Yuan Tian Shang Di |
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| The parade passes. Traffic finally flows again. |
The vanguard of the procession reached the Reviewing Stage opposite City Square at 9.45pm, and the last contingent passed at 12.45am on 3rd March.
I reached home at 2am, after collecting the car and passing through the expected traffic chaos as passage through town came back to normal. It is not easy to arrange dispersal for that huge amount of people who are there at the old town centre all at once; Johor Bahru is now so dispersed, the old town centre does not have anywhere near as much human traffic as when Johor Bahru first began, and such an influx will cause inconvenience.
Another Chinese New Year in Johor Bahru is almost over. Another Chingay is almost over.
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