Dedicated to Lord Muruga/Karthikeya/Kartik/Subramanian (all names of the same person!), the most fascinating thing about this festival is the procession whereby the devotees carry huge "kavadis". The idea is to inflict some pain on oneself as a form of physical sacrifice. So the kavadi can be simply a big decorative heavy piece, or one that has metal hooks which are hooked on to the carrier (yup, they actually pierce their skin with the hooks!), or one that has spears instead of hooks which are drilled into their bodies! Some devotees also pierce their cheeks and tongues with small spears and others walk a few kilometres on sandals made of nails! The whole ceremony or procession would seem rather bizarre but I have always been fascinated by how much pain these people seem to be able to take and the amount of faith they have in God and themselves.
Today was Thaipusam in Singapore and I caught a glimpse of the procession on the way back home at night. And as it happens every other year, I was once again astounded by the sheer determination of these people. They would be in so much pain with so many metal spears and hooks spearing them all over!
But just as that thought crossed my mind, a group very close by started to play the drums in true Tamil style - that is to say peppy and upbeat! And the guys carrying the huge heavy kavadis - with their bodies pierced with metal hooks, spears piercing their tongues and cheeks, started to dance! They just danced and danced as the beats turned heady! Am sure that if the spears in their mouths allowed them to smile, they would have!
What an incredible sight it was!
P.S. For those of you who have never heard of this... I strongly recommend googling for Thaipusam images. You are sure to be stunned!
190 more to go.
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