Birthday of the Monkey God

Monkey God, Birthday of the

SeptemberThis holiday is a celebration by Chinese Taoists of Tai Seng Yeh, the popular Monkey God, who sneaked into heaven and acquired miraculous powers; he is thought to cure the sick and absolve the hopeless. He is the godfather of many Chinese children.
In Singapore, Taoist mediums go into a trance to let the god's spirit enter their bodies; then, possessed, they howl and slash themselves with knives, and scrawl symbols on scraps of paper that are grabbed by devotees. There are also puppet shows and Chinese street opera performances at Chinese temples.
CONTACTS:
Singapore Tourism Board
1156 Ave. of the Americas, Ste. 702
New York, NY 10036
212-302-4861; fax: 212-302-4801
www.visitsingapore.com
SOURCES:
BkHolWrld-1986, Sep 17
FolkWrldHol-1999, p. 510
GdWrldFest-1985, p. 158