Thaipusam

So this thing Thaipusam, I have referred to it many, many times in my past few posts about Malaysia because its pretty ridiculous. I showed one photo 2 posts ago (see below)
But honestly, this guy had it real easy compared to some of the other people we saw. So I didn't get to see the Chariot which came to Jalan Waterfall (Waterfall Street in Malay) on I think Wednesday night because I was still suffering from the ill effects of food poisoning, but the rest of the gang went and said it was one of the strangest things they had ever seen in their entire lives. Hundreds of people performing Kavadi, a bunch of younger Tamil men doing ridiculous club dance moves, as there was apparently Indian dance music being played throughout the entire march. The evening of the Chariot was also sponsored by the likes of Motorola and other Malayasian companies, all giving away free food and beverages to those watching / participating apparently, another weird aspect. Here are some pictures from the evening passing of the Chariot as well as of Kavadi. I was not there but it is nonetheless extremely interesting to look at. Here are some pictures my buddy Quinn took from that evening to give you a bit of an idea of what the nighttime looked like. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the people lit a car on fire during the festival as well. Food poisoning.

So if you didn't click on the link, Kavadi is a dance / march performed by the devotees during the ceremonial worship of Murugan, the Tamil God of War. The Kavadi itsef is a physical burden through which the devotees implore for help from the God, Murugan. This info is from Wikipedia, the best source for all information, because even though I was a witness to Thaipusam, I really had no idea what the hell I was looking at. I was blown away. I've seen people self mutilate themselves in films and always cringed, but to see it in person was a whole different story. We all would literally stop dead in our tracks when we saw people with huge arrows going through their mouths and tounges or massive hooks attached to the back / chest with full coconuts attached in order to incur pain. Or people carrying 30kg peacock feather cover shrines to Murugan with needles digging deeper and deeper into the skin with each step. It was truly fascinating.

The march started in Little India, and ended at this temple (I forget the name unfortunately). We cheated, and started near the base of the temple (still about a 30 - 45 minute walk to the top) because doing the entire thing would have been absurd seeing as it was easily over 100 degrees fahrenheight and you could barely move. We were all shoulder to to shoulder with various people, some performing Kavadi (although most were not) all making our way to the top to I guess pay our respects to Murugam. It was a pretty surreal experience. I once again felt as though I did not belong and was witnessing something I may never again witness in my life. At first I felt as though we were definitely intruding on a sacred religious act for these people, but whenever we looked at the men (I don't think woman are allowed to perform Kavadi) they would smile and were more than happy to pose for pictures. Apparently they feel no pain as they are in a constant state of prayer, but I don't believe that for a second. It hurt to look at. There is no way it didn't actually hurt. Anyhow, from what I have learned from Wikipedia, here is what the people whom are chosen (oh yeah, it's an honor to perform Kavadi. Not just anyone gets to do it, you are chosen, by whom I have no idea.) Here is what it says on Wikipedia you must do in order to prepare to perform Kavadi:

The preparations start 48 days prior to the two day Thaipusam festival. The devotees purge themselves of all mental and physical impurities. They take only one vegetarian meal per day and 24 hours prior to Thaipusam, they must maintain a complete fast. The devotees prepare themselves by following strict purification austerities that include:
- Transcendence of desire
- Shaving of the head
- Following a vegetarian diet and refraining from alcohol
- Sexual abstinence
- Bathing in cold water
- Sleeping on the floor
- Regular prayers

I don't know about you, but that's a real long time to eat just one vegetarian meal a day for me. The event was fascinating and I can without a doubt say one of the most interesting things I have seen in my short life. Here are some pictures from the day I was well enough to attend the festival.

So after a long long day of wandering the streets of Penang and watching Thaipusam, we were all seriously exhausted from the heat and just the sheer amount of activity going on in every direction. We cabbed back to the hostel for a relaxing evening. The following day we would take a plane to Phuket, where we would spend half a day and a night, and then head to Ko Phi Phi. Blogs on those to come soon.

all photos by Quinn Hubertz

published by Sam Schofield