Thaipusam

Turns out I'm not much good on staying up to date with these things...who knew? Since I don't particularly feel like studying for my midterms, I'll catch you up on things.

First off, Singapore is a very diverse country where different cultures and religions peacefully coexist. Although not a utopia, it is a pretty impressive achievement. Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Atheists, etc. all in significant numbers exist peacefully together. That said, there is a lot of interesting cultural and religious celebrations and festivals that go on. (Singapore has divided its public holidays equally between Indian, Chinese, and Christian holidays.) On February 8, I attended a Hindu festival called Thaipusam.

Thaipusam is celebrated on the full moon of the Tamil month of Thai. The premise of the festival is to seek blessing, fulfill vows, and give thanks to the lord Subramaniam. Not all Hindus participate, just those seeking to accomplish those things. Preparation of those devotees is pretty strict. For a month prior to the festival, he must live a life of abstinence, adhere to a strict vegetarian diet, fast, and pray. It is believed that only when the mind is free of material wants and the body free from physical pleasures that a devotee can undertake the sacred task without feeling any pain...here comes the interesting part.

On the day of the festival, devotees shave their heads and go through an elaborate ritual before donning the kavadi. The kavadi is a metal apparatus (see picture) that is carried on the shoulders. At the top is carried a statue of the lord Subramaniam.


The painful part is that there are many metal rods or hooks inserted into the skin connecting the kavadi to the skin. Some devotees attach large hooks through the skin in their backs and pull a bullock-type cart with the statue. In addition, they often pierce their tongues, cheeks, and mouths with skewers. Kavadis are generally carried for keeping a vow, I think. Once the kavadi has been assembled, devotees journey from one temple to another, 4 km away. They have a large group of supporters giving encouragement and playing drums and instruments. Often, the devotees do more dancing than walking. The simplest, least painful way to participate is to carry a milk pot. This symbolizes the cleansing of the mind and soul. It seems that the more pain, the more god-earned merit.

I and another guy went down to the temples after church and watched the whole process of putting the kavadi together. We walked the 4 km to the other temple and watched everything along the way. I can't really explain the feeling it gave me. It was very sobering to see hundreds of people inflicting pain on themselves to gain the blessing of...a statue? At times I wondered if it was more for favor from a god or from other men that was the driving purpose. One of many experiences that will give me an odd feeling, here in the religiously diverse SE Asia.