TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS  I  MIKHAIL SURJADI

Not only us humans, gods have birthdays too. True, Chinese deities have birthdays to celebrate annually. And not only humans who attended the party, but also the gods and their heavenly followers.

Last Sunday, they threw the party at Fa Zhu Gong temple, Glodok, Jakarta. The people paraded a goddess statue inside a small carriage through narrow streets of China Town. Lion and dragon dances followed suit as a symbol of mythical creatures come together with the mortals to respect the occasion.