Preparations under way for bigger and better festival

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MALACCA: The Wangkang festival is back.

Yong Chuan Tian temple Lai Poon Ken said a mammoth procession is expected to take place in Banda Hilir during Chap Goh Mei in February next year.

“Visitors can expect decorated floats, lion and dragon dance troupe from a number of clans and guilds, stilt walkers from Batu Pahat including the char yong classical troupe from Muar.”

Lai added that supporting performers would include Chingay flag bearers and Big Head Puppeteers from Johor Baru.

Final preparation: Lai showing off the lion head which will be placed at the front view of he royal barge during the Wangkang festival here.

“The procession is scheduled to begin at 7.30am and end at 4.30pm, covering a distance of about 20 kilometres, paying homage to the various temples along the way but no stopping due to time constraint,” added Lai.

A royal barge, he said, would be ferried along Taman Melaka Raya to Pulau Melaka for the final ritual before it is set ablaze on its final journey to the Kingdom of the Saints.

Mosaic expert Goh Kok Hin was given the task of building the barge which took him nearly three months to complete.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam is scheduled to visit the temple tonight and officiate the launch of the Wangkang festival on Facebook for Internet users.

Lai also appealed to the members of the public including tourists to cooperate with the ushers, security volunteers and the police not to simply park their vehicles along the route of the royal barge.

A Cho Cheo prayers will be conducted Feb 1-6 before the procession. “In short, the Wangkang festival is all about ‘shipping out the evil spirits’ and bring peace and harmony to the rakyat of all walks of life.”