A lively night: A Chingay procession taking place at Padang MBSP Bagan Luar, Butterworth. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
BUTTERWORTH: The balancing of a giant flag pole that ranges from 7.6m to 9.8m in height and weighing about 27kg is a feat to witness.
Chingay is just that and more with the annual festival becoming a cherished tradition in Penang, embodying the rich tapestry of its multicultural heritage.
At the 13th Seberang Prai Chingay Festival here yesterday, multiple local Chingay teams from various associations put their best foot and chin forward as they balanced the flags.
To add to the festivities, various multicultural performances complemented the celebration, with dragon dance performers, silambattam, silat, aerobics, a choir performance and other dances and performances by school bands.
State tourism and creative economy committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said the Butterworth edition parade starting from Dewan Dato’ Haji Ahmad Badawi in Bagan Luar and ending at the Tow Boo Kong Temple in Jalan Raja Uda was a spectacle for all to witness.
“The procession this year includes dragon and lion dance troupes, Chingay teams, brass bands, floats and captivating demonstrations of Malay and Indian martial arts,” he said.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow officiated the festival before the procession made its way to the temple.
The name “Chingay” is derived from the Mandarin term for “the art of costume” and “masquerade” in Hokkien.
It was reported that the Chinese in Penang first performed Chingay in 1919 in celebration of the birthday of the Goddess of Mercy organised by market traders and other Chinese communities in the city.
They carried the idol of the goddess and 12m flags around George Town to eliminate the disease plaguing the area then. The procession has since transformed from its original purpose to the promotion of tourism and was recognised as an intangible cultural heritage by the National Heritage Department in 2012.
