A Crazy Festival, Thaipusam
There is no festival is more crazy than the one which is celebrated each year in the southern regions of India, specially in Tamil Nadu. It is known by the name of Thaipusam festival. Thaipusam is a Hindu festival which is celebrated by the Tamil people. Although this festival is also celebrated in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia and certain parts of Indonesia, but the extent to which it is given importance by the Indians is beyond your wildest dreams. The festival is always celebrated on the day of the full moon and mostly the people who attend this festival belong to the Tamil community.
In terms of meaning and symbolism, Thaipusam means the start at the highest most point. As soon as the festival begins, the worshipers from different regions of the country first bath and then prepare to keep a fast for the whole day. In addition, some of them also shave their heads and carry certain “kavadis” on their heads. But what makes the festival as the weirdest is the humiliation of the flesh which is the main theme of the festival. Not just men, but also women also actively participate in this process of flesh splitting. The parts of the body which are pierced are the tongue, cheeks, stomach and chest. The more pain you can endure, the more blessing will be showered onto you from the side of the God’s. This is what the people of the region believe. This festival is not a place to be for the faint hearted, as reading the details on this page is one thing and seeing the festival with your eyes is quite another.
Thaipusam Festival in Kuala Lumpur:
This festival takes on slight variations depending on where it is occurring–one of the largest gatherings however for this crazy festival is the pilgrimages made in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. With well over 1.5 million people in attendance over the course of the weekend, it is truly a site to behold. It will never exist to even a fraction of the number of faith goers who are participating.
The preparations for the ceremony itself actually begin 48 days prior, with things such as fasting to cleanse the body. Then, on the first day of Thaipusam, there is a large ceremony in a local Hindu temple. It has moved around Kuala Lumpur a few times in it is history, but for the past several years at the time of this publication, the ceremonies began at Sri Mahamariamman Temple in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. People join together and make offerings and pooja (putting the red ink on ones forehead). There were also several ceremonies involving pouring milk over hindu statues and lots of it! As the night progresses, tens of thousands of people have already joined in the streets. Free food and water are being handed out at every turn. At the stroke of midnight on the first night, fireworks get let off in the street and music begins. A large procession starts marching with a huge metallic shrine! Approximately 15 of the holy men from the temple are pulling it on wheels. They will carry it more than 15 kilometers through the night, and into the afternoon, all the way to Batu Caves! Many walk with them the whole way, making stops at each major Hindu temple on the route.
You can see people in states of a illusion, there are many rituals being acted out, with holy men blessing those who carried burdens. Lots of the pilgrimages falling on the ground in miseries, and being carried away by others. The conclusion of all of this is climbing the 250+ stairs into Batu Caves, where many of the “Kavadi” are removed, and the burdens are absolved.
This ceremony goes on from late in the evening of the first full day, after the shrine has arrived, and carries on all through the night, and into the following day, before the shrine starts its journey back to the original temple.
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