Chingay Parade

Chingay Parade

The Chingay Parade is an annual street procession in Malaysia that coincides with the birthdays of Chinese deities or the Goddess of Mercy (Guanyin) as part of the Chinese New Year festivities.

The purpose of this parade is to pay reverence and revel in the presence of the deity. Over a century ago, during the earliest procession, English newspapers in Malaysia started using the term "Chingay Procession" to describe this special event.

The term "Chingay" has its roots in the Chinese communities of Southeast Asia. It phonetically translates to "真艺" (zhēnyì), which means "true art" in the Penang dialect. Today, the parade is celebrated by the Chinese, Malay, and Indian communities in Malaysia.

Chingay Parade in Penang traces back to a float decoration competition in 1905. This tradition of float decoration eventually spread throughout Malaya by the 1960s and became closely associated with Chinese New Year.

The second Chingay procession, celebrating the God of Prosperity's birthday, took place in 1926. The third procession, in 1957, celebrated the centenary of the City Council of George Town, Penang.

To ensure the continuity of Chingay, the Chinese community in Malaysia collaborated to establish the Penang Chingay liaison committee in the 1960s, uniting enthusiasts from various areas.

The Johor Bahru Chingay Parade boasts a 140-year history. The term "Chingay" in the Min Nan dialect (including Teochew) translates to 'the Art of Decorating (or Make-up)'. However, in Johor Bahru, residents usually refer to the annual parade of deities as the 'YOU-SHEN' (游神) or 'Parade of the Deities'. The main theme revolves around the procession of the Five Deities from the five main dialect-groups of Johor Bahru, despite the decorated floats and painted Chinese folk-characters being integral to the parade. The principal deity in the Johor Bahru Old Temple, Yuan Tian Shang Di, known as Tua Lau Ya in Teochew, is the centerpiece of the festival. This sets it apart from the non-religious 'Chingays' of Singapore and Penang, which are primarily celebratory parades for tourists and the Lunar New Year.