From Johor Bahru Directory
| The annual Chingay procession signifies the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations for Johoreans.
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The annual Chingay procession is like a carnival, complete with dragon dances, festive music, and the louding pounding of drums and cymbals.
The annual Chingay procession on the 21st day of the first Chinese lunar month is like a carnival, complete with dragon and lion dances, and stilt walkers, accompanied by festive music, and the clanging of cymbals and pounding of gongs and drums. Every of the 5 major Chinese dialect groups — Teochews, Hokkiens, Hakkas, Cantonese, and Hainanese — compete to put up the best display for their group. Trucks carry generators and followed the procession in order to provide mobile lighting for the procession. Back in the 1960s, which the tradition which began in Penang spread to Johor Bahru, the 3 notorious secret society clans in the city would call for a truce throughout the 5-day Chingay ceremony to unite and pray for good fortune, indicating how important this ancient tradition must have meant to the Johor Chinese.
2. 5-day ceremony: The whole Chingay ceremony takes 5 days to complete, beginning from the 18th day to 22nd day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar:
- 1st day: The ceremony starts with a symbolic lighting event.
- 2nd day: Devotees clean the streets of Johor Bahru near Jalan Ulu Ayer Molek. During the street cleansing ceremony, they sprinkle the route of the procession with holy water and beat miniature Chinese gongs to ward off evil spirits, as well as bad auras.
- 3rd day: The deities are cleansed and purified before they are carried to Jalan Ulu Air Molek and kept overnight.
- 4th day: The actual Chingay procession takes place, with the deities from the 5 main dialect associations — Yuan Tian Shang Di (Teochew), Hong Xian Da Di (Hokkien), Gan Tian Da Di (Hakka), Hua Guang da Di (Cantonese), and Zhao Da Yuan Shuai (Hainan) — being taken for a tour of the city center. Devotees bow down and chant heng heng (prosperity) or huat ah! (good fortune), when the deities on palanquins are carried by devotees and rocked enthusiastically during the parade.
- 5th day: The deities are brought back by foot to the Johor Ancient Chinese Temple and for Johoreans, the Chinese New Year celebrations is brought to an end.
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