A chance Uber back to the apartment last night led us to learn that today was Indian New Year and there would be celebrations in ‘Little India’. Having celebrated Christian (and probably others) New Year in Kuching, we were keen to witness a second New Year’s celebrations of a different kind.
The streets were thronged and we headed to the Mahamariamman Hindu Temple. We needed to remove shoes and socks to go inside, where they were preparing pots of celebratory rice cooked in ghee with added fruit and nuts, over open fires. We were told the following day the same preparations would be made in the paddy fields where the rice was grown.
‘There was an ornate carriage pulled by two cows, working its way to the Temple. People on the carriage were anointing people who offered fruit to the carriage, with a white powder. Smeared on temple, neck and hands.
Outside many shops were structures of cut sugar cane to protect the entrance from harm. Pots of ghee rice were more often than not being prepared within the structure. Music was everywhere, everyone was happy and no-one but no-one was pushing to get to the carriage or move along the street. Everything comes to he who waits.
Of course we had to have lunch - chicken biriani served on banana leaf - yummy
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