Here is a video made covering the 5 days of celebrations in Chingay 2018 which will give you a good idea of what is involved.
Within the Johor Old Chinese Temple in Jalan Trus, there lives five deities, each worshipped by one of the five dialect-based clans; Teochew (Yuan Tian Shang Di), Cantonese (Hua Guang Da Di), Hokkien (Hong Xian Da Di), Hainanese (Zhao Da Yuan Shuai), and Hakka (Gan Tian Da Di). Once a year, these dieties are taken out of the temple and are paraded around the city to bless it with peace and harmony.
The sequence of events is the same each year, but the dates are different as they are based on the Lunar New Year calender. Here is a link to the Johor Chingay 2019 Facebook page for details if you can read Chinese. This year the Night Parade will be held on Friday 14th February 2020, from 7 - 9 pm. Because of the current coronavirus outbreak, the dieties will travel around JB on the back of a lorry and the parade will be reduced in scale.
Click here to see a full account of Chingay 2018.
On the 18th Day is the Lighting-Up Ceremony
The Lighting-Up Ceremony is the start of the traditional Chingay activity and takes place at the temporary shrine or Xing Gong (near Jalan Ulu Ayer Molek, a site off Jalan Ngee Heng). At 8 pm, the President of the Johor Old Chinese Temple sub-committee presses a button to light up the stage and the open air auditorium is filled with the sound of fireworks. Next there are some speeches followed by an entertainment show until 10 pm.
Click here to see an account of the Lighting-Up Ceremony on 5th March 2018.
On the 19th Day is the Street Cleaning Ceremony
At 11 am, the route from the Johor Old Chinese Temple to the Xing Gong is prepared, ready for the deities the next day. Temple officials walk the route using tree branches to spread water onto the road.
Also on this day, there is the Mounting Ceremony in the afternoon. This is a private affair where the deities are prepared for their annual journey. They are invited to mount the sedans, and the leaders and protectors from the respective clans fill the sedans with gold and silver incense paper and fasten it securely with red cloth.
Click here to see an account of the Street Cleaning Ceremony and public actvities within the temple on 6th March 2018.
On the 20th Day is the Prelude Day Parade
At about 10:30 am, dancing dragons, dancing lions, and drum/cymbal-playing musicians head off from the temple area along Jalan Trus. They stop enroute to give blessing to various companies/buildings.
At 11 am, the dieties are placed in their shrine carriages following a 100-year old ritual which will last for three days. They are brought out of the Johor Old Chinese Temple to start their travels up to their temporary home at Xing Gong. The dieties emerge in strict order: Zhao Da Yuan Shuai (Hainanese), Hua Guang Da Di (Cantonese), Gan Tian Da Di (Hakka), Hong Xian Da Di (Hokkien), and Yuan Tian Shang Di (Teochew).
If you stand further up Jalan Trus, towards the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, the parade will have spread out a little and you can get a better view.
(At 7 pm there will be performances of Chinese Opera at the Xing Gong.)
Click here to see an account of the Prelude Day Parade on 7th March 2018.
Click here to see an account of the Prelude Day Parade on 24th February 2019.
On the 21st Day is the Extravaganza or Night Parade
At 6 pm, the deities leave the Xing Gong on the start of a 10 km tour of the city, taking about seven hours. Again, they are accompanied by worshippers, lion dancers, dragon dancers, and many musicians. In addition, there are flag bearers and numerous floats decorated based on the Chinese Zodiac character for the year. The parade stops along Jalan Wong Ah Fook where the Sultan of Johor has the prime viewing spot of performances. To avoid the crowds there, you can still watch the procession at any part of its route.
Click here to see an account of the Night Parade on 8th March 2018.
Click here it see an account of the Night Parade on 25th February 2019.
On the 22nd Day is the Return to the Temple
At 11 am, the dieties are taken back from the Xing Gong to the Johor Old Chinese Temple to rest for another year. They arrive back at the temple at about 12:30 pm. The deities enter the temple backwards, and are rapidly removed from their sedans and placed back inside the main part of the temple.
Click here to see an account of the Return to the Temple on 9th March 2018.
Here is a copy of map showing the route (it is the same every year). The green arrows show the route for the Prelude Day Parade, the red arrows show route of the Night Parade, and the blue arrows show the route taken when the deities return to the Johor Old Chinese Temple.
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