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Hope
The Nine Emperor Gods Festival still remains as one of the larger events that had been permitted amidst the on-going Covid-19 pandemic. Being the second edition in the Covid era, temple staff and devotees had been accustomed to the restrictions — such as limiting the maximum number of people in any given area and temples not being allowed to conduct their annual “yew keng”. While this affected the atmosphere of the festivities, such restrictions unwittingly directed emphasis towards the fundamental religious practices. As the 2021 edition continue to be a scaled-down event, it still demonstrated the religious fervor of devotees to carry out their sacred tradition even in the face of adversity. Perhaps it could also be people’s way of making sense of the things happening around them. Moreover, should the omission of key rituals continue to persist in subsequent years, the meaning of the festival may perhaps change in due course.