What you see in the picture are the lighted 'bamboo pole lamps' at the Tow Bow Keong Temple in Ipoh. On the eve of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival which begins on the first day of the ninth lunar month, a post made from a bamboo trunk is first erected. Then the 9 Oil Lamps or Tall Lamp (Koe Tang in Cantonese) are hung on another bamboo pole with its leaves, twigs and branches intact. The lamps will be raised by a pulley to the top of the post.
The Tall Lamp consists of 9 lamps. The Ko Teng represents the 9 Emperor Gods. Once the lamps are lighted and raised, it signifies the arrival of the deities who will preside over the festival and it also marks the start of the 9-day festival. The Tall Lamp will be lowered on the tenth day of the ninth month after the deities go back to Heaven at midnight on the ninth day.
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