Last week I went to observe one of the most fascinating festivals that I think that I have ever seen; Thaipusam. This is one of the most important festivals in the Hindu culture, it is celebrated in countries where there is a large community of Tamil Hindus, including India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and here in Singapore.
Hindus of all castes gather to to give thanks and show their appreciation to one of their gods, Lord Murugan, the younger son of the goddess Parvati and God Shiva and brother of Ganesha.
Thaipusam is celebrated during the 10th month in the Hindu calendar. The word 'Thai' refers to the 10th month and 'pusam' to when the moon is at it's brightest, a full moon.
The devotees are accompanied and supported by many of their families and friends and there is a real sense of community and encouragement in the air. In Singapore the devotees fulfil their vows by walking a 4km route from Sri Srinivas Perumal Temple in Little India to Sri Thendayuthapani Temple near Fort Canning.
The majority of the devotees carry pots of milk on their heads, along the route and then the milk is poured over the statue of Lord Murugan at the final temple
Others choose to carry a basic kavadi, which consists of a short wooden pole enclosed by a wooden arch, decorated with peacock feathers (symbolic of Lord Murugan who rode a peacock). Groups of families could be seen preparing the kavadis
Some devotees choose to carry a much more elaborate, heavier and more serious kavadi that has spears and skewers piercing through the structure and into the devotee's body. Below is a picture of a set of the sharp spears being laid out ready for insertion
This chap seemed to be testing the sharpness of the spike! Note he also has a small 'piercing' on his forehead
I watched as the final top piece of this kavadi was lowered by several men onto the structure below
The spears, known as vels, had already been inserted through the holes in the kavadi and into the man's abdomen, chest and back. There was no blood and thanks to meditation and being in a trance like state the devotees did not appear to feel any pain
Most devotees choose to walk bare foot but a few wore spiked shoes that had the spikes pointing upwards into the foot
It was bizarre, fascinating and very moving watching as the participants were 'dressed' by their supporters in preparation for their pilgrimation
To carry the spiked kavadi you must be bare chested so only men are allowed to do this. Many women choose to have piercings in the foreheads and arms
Many devotees had piercing through their foreheads, lips and tongues and some had hooks pierced into their backs with limes, peacock feathers or neem branches hanging from the hooks, all significant symbols
This chap had both
Watching as the spikes were inserted through this young man's tongue was mesmerising, his bravery and faith was incredible, he made only the tiniest of grimaces at one point but never flinched!
Carrying his pot of milk, he was ready
As devotees set off on his or her pilgrimage the musicians started up and led them on their way. The first devotees had started their walk at 4am and at 15 minute intervals throughout the rest of the day a new participant would set off until the final person at 7.30pm
There was the loud music from drums and horns and the heady smell of incense in the air
Talking to some of the supporters I discovered that carrying the kavadi and walking the route is only part of the devotional act. For the month prior to Thaipusam the devotees follow a simple and more disciplined daily routine than they usually would. This would include having vegetarian food, no alcohol, possibly sleeping on a mat on the floor and abstaining from sex. All this help purifiy their minds and bodies for the day of the procession
I watched some of them start their procession as they walked slowly out of the temple and into the street. There were a few men towing chariots with a statue of Lord Murugan inside, the chariots were attached to ropes or chains that were hanging from hooks inserted into the flesh on their backs.
Thousands of people were on the streets watching or following the procession
In the 30c heat, walking barefoot (or with spiked shoes), carrying pots of milk on their heads or kavadis for the 4 kms must have been extremely arduous. I cheated and took a bus to the end point to see the final phase of the festival, arriving at the temple to be blessed and deliver the pots of milk
The second temple was even more crowded that the first, as the pilgrims delivered their milk and others queued to collect a small pot of the milk that had been poured over the statue of Lord Murugan. This milk, now considered sacred may be taken home to be shared with the family and will be drunk or put on the forehead as a blessing
It wasn't easy to get to the front of the barrier to see the inner temple where the statue was being bathed in milk, but many local people encouraged and helped me to get through, they seemed very happy to share their experience with a 'foreigner'
As the men carried their heavy kavadis into the temple their exhaustion seemed to lift and the joy of having very nearly completed their task was palpable. Several of them danced and spun energetically in circles with their kavadis swirling around
It was only a few meters more for the participants to walk outside the temple to the big tented area where they would have their kavadis and piercings removed but it was over this last stretch that their pain and exhaustion showed. The man below was wearing the spiked shoes and these last steps looked so painful, his family kept shouting encouragement
This man looked absolutely exhausted
and then once inside he was shown to a numbered bay where he waited patiently with eyes closed as first the top section was lifted off and then each spear and piercing was slowly and carefully removed.
As each spike was pulled out ash was dabbed on the wounds, this ash comes from burnt cow dung. Sterilised in the burning process it will work as an antiseptic and anti infective agent and accelerate wound healing
After this man below had had all of his piercings removed I asked if I could talk to him, and he said he was happy to. He told me that this was his 3rd year of carrying a kavadi, he had made a vow to give thanks for his families health and he would do it for 2 more years. He explained that once the piercings were removed he felt some pain but that by later that evening this would have eased and he would be able to eat and drink normally. He joked that his friends teased him that fluids would escape from his mouth through the holes in his cheeks but he said this didn't actually happen.
His parting comment that the hardest part of Thaipusam was the month of abstinence before it and the one thing that he was met looking forward to was a cool glass of beer
Many of the devotees were clearly enjoying relaxing and sharing food with their supporters before they would journey home and back to their normal lives, until next year when many of them will be back again
It was an extraordinary occasion to observe and I was worried that I might feel a bit like a voyeur but thanks to the festival atmosphere and the wonderfully welcoming and friendly attitude from the locals, I dd not feel that way at all, instead I feet privileged to be have able to share a little bit in their experience
