En route to Thaipusam
I went to India today!
Thaipusam is a Indian festival that originates with Tamil speaking Hindus. It marks the Hindu month of Thai in the Tamil solar calendar. Currently banned in India, it is only celebrated in a few select places around the world. Penang is one of them! We were thrilled to be here and to be able to attend.
Pilgrimage of Thaipusam
The festival in Penang is essentially a pilgrimage from Muniswarer Temple in Little India, Georgetown to Nattukkottai Chettiar Temple on top of the hill. It started on Thursday with a parade in front of which the local Hindu Indians all broke coconuts as a way to purify their sins.
By Friday, the festival and accompanying pilgrimage was in full swing. With loud Bollywood music blaring for the entire length of the whole 4 kilometers to the top, crowds walked. Thousands of people (many barefoot) walked and talked, almost all of them in large family groups. Mixed amongst these followers were tall and elaborate kavadis (individually carried floats), securely wrapped around and balanced by individual walkers.
Many of the kavadis are decorated with peacock feathers.
Kavadis (hand carried float)
Dotted along the whole route were vendors with beautiful Indian sari, jewelry, food, and drinks for sale. But mostly, the vendors sold offerings for the followers to carry up in presentation to the gods. For this festival, the main offering happens to be milk. Believers carried jugs, cartons, cups, and pots full of milk along with them up the hill. I never did understand why milk, but I did see a sign posted that Nestle was offering the Indian believers one million cups of milk for the festival. After walking for a long time in the crowds and heat, we turned back, never making it to the top; but, I understand from friend who did go, that the milk is poured over the statue in the temple at the top of the hill. All the milk then runs down the hill in streams, giving the temple a sort of sour milk smell.
Carrying a jug of milk to the top.
What makes this festival contradictory, in my opinion, and banned in India, is probably due to the extent the followers go to show their faith, namely in this case, all the body piercing. Apparently truly devote followers will fast for weeks before the festival and, in an almost hypnotic state, pierce their tongues, cheeks and bodies on the day of the festival in reverence. Many will attach large elaborate kavadis to their body piercings and walk through the crowds with the cages attached. (I had to wonder how they keep from getting bumped and how much would that hurt if it did. Yikes!)
A beautiful Indian family
The whole festival was fascinating but without a doubt, my favorite part of the festival was the excitement and the people! More than one million devotees come to Penang for this festival each year and every one of them seemed to be dressed in a brilliant colored sari. The result was the most vibrant and colorful crowd of people you can imagine walking up the hills in pilgrimage. It was certainly a site to behold!
Handsome young man.
A beauty
As a couple of the few Caucasians in the procession, it was fun to imagine that we were actually on the streets in India. And, unfortunately, on this current family trip, it might be the closest we come.The India seed, however, has been planted…
What does it feel like to be a little kid absorbing all these sounds, smells, colors, etc.for the very first time. I can’t even imagine the brain overload.
My camera would have been smoking.
The guy with the needles stuck through his face……what was he thinkin’?
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