This photo was taken at the Esplanade, Penang, Malaysia. The weather that day was dark, cloudy and windy. The performance had to go on. Surprisingly, it never rained. In this event, participants has to balance a long flag pole on the forehead or chin. Penang Chingay has enthralled millions and millions of locals and visitors to the state yearly since its first parade in 1919. By the way, the building is the City Hall. The flag pole (bamboo pole) and the flag are the main materials for Chingay. The length of the flag pole ranges from 25 ft to 32 ft, the length of the flag is around 25 ft and the total weight of these add together is around 60 pounds. The selection of flag pole is very important to ensure the safety of the player as well as the quality of the performance. It has to go through special handling to suit the requirements of the Chingay players and they are not to be easily broken or taken from anywhere at anytime. Even for the overseas performance, when the flag poles are transported by airplane, they should be more than enough in quantity to avoid any damages incurred.
