PLAYING THE ROLE OF KUAN YIN

I always had the idea from watching Chinese movies and Cantonese serials that the female taking on the role of the Goddess Kuan Yin for a religious procession would be a beautiful young girl.  Well, I was rather surprised that for the 9 Emperor Gods procession in Ayer Tawar, they chose a more mature lady.    You can see her all dressed in white in the picture above.  

It was only later when I went inside the temple and saw the "Kuan Yin" coming down from the steps of the temple in a trance that I realised that she was a spiritual medium or Tongji  童乩.  A tongji or jitong is a person believed to have been chosen by a particular shen 神 "god; spirit" as the earthly vehicle for divine expression. 

The float with "Kuan Yin" and her two disciples, Kum Toong 金僮 (Golden Youth) and Yoke Lui 玉女 (Jade Girl) flanking her.

The Tongji playing the role of Kuan Yin is blessing the devotees using willow leaves dipped in holy water.