So, in the fumbling, bumbling, happenstancical way that generally constitutes the Terns' Standard Operating Procedure, we finally found out what is going on at Ah Ma Hu Temple (our nearest).

On our way out this morning, we noticed that a) some of those heavy-duty incense sticks had been doing their thing overnight, and b) the temporary stage was now open:



But it wasn't until we were in Zoey's, eating celebratory cheesecake to mark the four-year anniversary of our moving into our Kuching flat, that a little circular popped into my Sarawak Heritage Society WhatsApp folder:

Road closures. For the "God Pageant Ceremony". Starting and finishing on Jalan Central Timur. That's our main road! About 3,000 people taking part!! Starting THIS AFTERNOON!!!

So we rejigged our day slightly, and set off just after 1500 to see what was happening. Actually not so much when we first swung past. But something was obviously GOING to happen:





So we did what we always do in these circumstances. Which is go and drink coffee on Jalan Padungan. The parade was due to go that way, so we figured we'd be nice and on hand for what -- according to a helpful Facebook post -- was the grand celebration of the Ah Ma Hu Temple deity's birthday.

After a reasonable time spent doing the drinking-coffee thing, we decided to head back up the road in the direction of the temple.

Sure enough, at about 1720, as we set off along Padungan, the unmistakable sounds of drumming and clanging made it clear something was approaching.

And after that we just stood and marvelled...




Over the course of the evening, we had a vast array of figures, mythically significant, talented, or just plain cute:













It goes without saying that there were plenty of lions on hand:















Not to mention dragons:









Music, of course:



Lots of sweeties:


Flags:



And, of course, the raison d'etre of the whole thing, the parading of the temple deities (who, unsurprisingly, are VERY hard to photograph):






The gods are not necessarily carried in slow, stately fashion. Sometimes they're swung from side to side and fair galloped along the road:



Getting dark:




By the time the last delegations were filing past, it was 1910, so people had been processing for a good couple of hours.

The Borneo Post had a bit of same-day coverage. From this we understood that the procession was organized by the Kuching Heng Hua Seng Ing Tong (Ah Ma Hu Temple). According to the president of the Sarawak Federation of Chinese Associations, Dato Richard Wee, "The temple is primarily under the care of the Henghua community, who were traditionally involved in the fishing industry. The temple was erected to bless their vocation, and the procession is held once every three years."

We never tire of these events. How could that even be possible? They're colourful, vibrant, exuberant, warm-hearted, and full of atmosphere. They're laden with cultural meaning (most of it inaccessible to us, of course, but that's not important). And the massive amount of organization and participation that goes into such celebrations is an eloquent testimony to oceans of community spirit.

We went home feeling kind of awed.

I couldn't include all the photos, or the post would have been super-long, but if you want more -- and how could you not? -- the full album is here.