It has been quite a roller coaster ride in terms of the economy, politics, water cuts and of course the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aiming to cleanse 2020 of all COVID-19 negativity, a Hokkien "cleansing" festival "cleansing" is scheduled to be held in Melaka next month.

According to a report by The Star, the ancient festival called the Wangkang Festival was last organised by the Yong Chuan Tian Temple in Bandar Hilir eight years ago.

Instructions from heaven

Unlike most festivals, the Wangkang Festival does not happen annually.

It is only put together when Ong Yah, the deity at the temple receives special instructions from heaven.

“Ong Yah spelled out the order through a temple medium and predicted the pandemic scourge in December 2017. It took us three years to prepare for the procession, which will be held in mid-November," said Datuk Ronald Gan, the festival's organising chairman.

During the festival, a procession is usually held with the main draw being the hauling of the royal barge.

A special Wangkang Ship is built for the procession and pulled around on the streets of Malacca.

According to the report, during the festival, wondering souls, evil spirits and negative elements would be collected and placed into the royal barge.

At the end of the procession, all in the barge are sent into the unknown by way of burning the ship.

Gan said that previously, Ong Yah had instructed for the procession to be held in 1919, 1933, 2001 and 2012.

He said that these were years when chaos happened throughout the world.