Thaipusam is a Hindu festival which honours the victory of deity Lord Murugan over demon hordes. It’s a compound word built from ‘Thai’the month and ‘pusam’ a star that reaches its height at this time. This year saw a rare ‘red moon’ a lunar eclipse not seen since 1866 on day 2 of the festival.
Devotees seek blessings and fulfil their vows by carrying ‘kavadis’ intricate structures of steel and wood which incorporate sharp body piercings - and milk pots as offerings. This however is reserved for day 2. The first day sees a pilgrimage procession of 2 chariots, one gold and one silver travelling separate routes from the Kovil Veedu on Lebuh Penang to the Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani temple. The chariots are pulled by 2 decorated bulls and coconuts are smashed in front of them to cleanse the road.
We went to Times Square to see the silver chariot and went into the Nagarathur Murugan temple to seethe offerings that were brought in, how they were treated and see all the peacock feathered kavadis which were collected and carried the rest of the way. The white haired, bare chested chap at the entrance had a chat with us once inside, telling us about the day. Once he found out we were from the UK he went into eulogies about cricket and Ian Botham and also how respected and welcomed the British are all over the world for the educational standards they started on colonisation.
The State Department for cleansing were incredible in the cleaning of the roads. Within 30 mins of the chariot passing, everywhere was swept and coconuts,sugar cane and banana leaves collected and sent away on lorries.
Hazel was asked by one of the ladies if she would like to be blessed and receive the powder dot and gratefully accepted. It was great to be accepted by them - everyone is welcomed and treated equally. As an outward sign of harmony, I took the photo showing the Indian community celebrating tradition, sitting on the steps of Times Square, decorated ready for Chinese New Year and guarded by 2 transformers - perfect!
Please click here for PHOTOS
