Heavy rain and fallen trees delay thousands in Penang as festival begins

GEORGE TOWN: Thousands were late to work after an early morning downpour and fallen trees, with some Penangites linking it to the Nine Emperor Gods Festival.

Engineer Steven Yeap, 33, who was heading to Bayan Lepas, said he left early but was still half an hour late.

“I live in Jelutong and decided last night to leave extra early for work. I usually head out around 7.45am but this time I left at 7.20am thinking I would beat the traffic as the rain was heavy.”

“Despite schools being closed I was stuck in a jam and only got to work at 9.30am,” he said.

Yeap said he was annoyed by the traffic but not surprised.

“During the Nine Emperor Gods Festival it is normal for it to rain heavily and daily for the nine days. We just expect it but unfortunately the rain led to trees falling and cars rerouting to head to the destination.”

“The traffic was bad but when I got to work everyone understood. One of them even joked that it is only day two of the festival,” he said.

There were seven fallen tree incidents within a two hour span on Wednesday (Oct 22) morning caused by the downpour.

Penang Fire and Rescue Department operations assistant director John Sagun Francis said the incidents occurred between 6am and 8am, mainly on the island.

The locations were along Jalan Paya Terubung, four spots in Bayan Lepas including Jalan Bukit Lama and Jalan Tun Sardon, Jalan Sungai Nipah, Kampung Permatang Tengah in Balik Pulau, and Jalan Padang Benggali, Teluk Air Tawar in Butterworth.

The Nine Emperor Gods Festival, a period of spiritual cleansing and devotion, began on Tuesday (Oct 21) and runs until October 29.

The annual celebration, which starts on the first day of the ninth lunar month, brings rituals, prayers and processions across the state.

The festival, observed by Taoists, is dedicated to the nine sons of Dou Mu Yuan Jun, the Goddess of the North Star.

Devotees believe the gods arrive via waterways, with processions from temples to rivers or the sea as a symbolic gesture.

During the festival, devotees adhere to a vegetarian diet to purify body and mind.

The practice is intended to facilitate spiritual cleansing and alignment with the gods through abstention from meat and other impure substances.