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APPLICATIONS for temporary business permits during the annual Kew Ong Ya (Nine Emperor Gods) celebration in George Town, Penang will be open on Saturday (Sept 7).
Penang Island City Council (MBPP) public health and licensing committee alternate chairman Tan Soo Siang (pic) said hawkers and stall operators who are interested in applying may do so until Sept 24.
"The permit period granted would be from Oct 2 until Oct 11 during the celebration," she told a press conference at MBPP City Hall on Friday (Sept 6).
She said the licence fee is RM1 per day for every 40sq ft, with a waste collection fee of RM6 for each stall of the same size, and a canopy fee of RM100 for a 20x20-foot (6x6m) canopy.
She said applicants are encouraged to apply online at ulesen.mbpp.gov.my; alternatively, they can walk in to the Licensing Department or call 04-2638818.
Each year, the Nine Emperor Gods Festival is celebrated from the first to the ninth day of the ninth lunar month.
This year the festival will begin on Oct 2 and end on Oct 11.
Observed by Taoists, it is dedicated to the nine sons of Tou Mu, the goddess of the North Star, who is believed to control the Books of Life and Death.
During this period, devotees will follow a strict vegetarian diet, with some even observing it for an extra day.
Devotees believe the gods came through the waterway and processions are usually held from temples to the river or seashore as a symbolic gesture.
