When the Regent of Johor Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim arrived at the Gong Ying stage in Jalan Wong Ah Fook, loud cheers could be heard as he prepared to watch the century-old Johor Ancient Temple Chingay procession. The iconic event, marking the end of Chinese New Year celebrations for Johoreans, drew a lot of excitement from the crowd.
Wearing a red-coloured shirt, Tunku Ismail was joined by his daughter Tunku Khalsom Aminah Sofiah and son Johor Raja Muda Tunku Iskandar Abdul Jalil Abu Bakar Ibrahim, who were also dressed in festive colours. The royal family spent over an hour enjoying cultural performances, including a traditional Chinese dance, lion dance on high stilts, and the 24 festive drums performance.
The procession, made up of performers, colorful floats, and devotees on foot, passed by the royals as they smiled and waved. The crowd shouted “Heng ah, ong ah, huat ah!” (good luck, fortune, and prosperity), as well as Daulat Tuanku. Among the dignitaries sharing the stage with the Regent were Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, state health and environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon, and China ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing.
Johor Baru Tiong-Hua Association president Ho Sow Tong presented Tunku Ismail with a souvenir, a painting of a dragon, to commemorate the Year of the Dragon. This was Tunku Ismail’s first time attending the Chingay procession as the Regent of Johor; he had previously accompanied his father, Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, when the Ruler was the guest of honor.
The procession started and ended at the Xin Gong Temple in Jalan Ulu Ayer Molek, covering an 8km route. Devotees carried palanquins housing five deities from the main dialect clans of Hokkien, Cantonese, Hainan, Hakka, and Teochew for an annual “tour” to bless the city and its people. The Chinese community in Johor Baru celebrates the Chingay Festival from the 19th to the 22nd day of the Chinese New Year, falling on Feb 27 to March 2 this year.
Locals believe that the Chingay festival signifies the conclusion of Chinese New Year celebrations for the community. The festival holds great cultural and traditional significance for the Chinese community in Johor Baru, with various performances and rituals taking place to bring blessings and prosperity to the city and its people.
