Each year, the Tamil speaking Hindu people of Malaysia celebrate Thaipusam, a ceremony whereby devotees who have made a vow during the previous year, redeem it by carrying an ornamental structure called a kavadi which is attached to their bodies by hooks and steel spikes that penetrate their flesh.
One of the larger kavadis.The high back section is bolted to the curved front part which, in turn, is carried on the shoulders
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| Raising the top section |
These devotees coat their bodies with holy ash, wear saffron robes and have all manner of hooks, large and small, inserted into their bodies often along with metal skewers that pierce their cheeks, foreheads and tongues.
We had heard of this ritual from cruising friends who have attended the festivities on the island of Penang on several occasions but hadn't realised that they also take place throughout many regions of Malaysia.
The main two very large festivals are held in the Batu Caves just outside Kuala Lumpur along with the one in Penang but here they also celebrate, albeit somewhat scaled down.
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| Not a spot of blood despite all those hooks! |
We were so fortunate to be invited to the local celebrations where we witnessed the devotees placing themselves into a trance prior to having their bodies pierced. Amazingly enough, none of them appeared to be in any sort of discomfort nor did they shed a drop of blood. Watching one of the girls go into a trance was possibly not the prettiest sight, rather scary actually, but the entire event was fascinating.
Once each devotee has received his/her piercings, they carry their kavadi down the streets to another temple a couple of kilometres away. Some of these structures are absolutely enormous, others are pulled by the hooks placed into the skin on their backs.
This is an occasion for the ladies to dress in their finest and the colours were more than incredible. There is absolutely nothing boring about Indian women's attire; the colours, the fabrics, the beadwork - spectacular!
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| Beautiful family |
And, as though all this wasn't enough, everyone is offered a free lunch to end the day served up by all the restaurants in the region. We were served (on a huge banana leaf) an outstanding vegetarian meal consisting of rice, dahl, cabbage & bean curry, the most amazing pumpkin curry and another vegetable combination concoction all of which was just ever so tasty. We ate the traditional way with our fingers, hmmm, I'm afraid I'm a cutlery sort of gal, but I can't deny that it was a wonderful meal.
What a day.
We were so fortunate to be invited to the local celebrations where we witnessed the devotees placing themselves into a trance prior to having their bodies pierced. Amazingly enough, none of them appeared to be in any sort of discomfort nor did they shed a drop of blood. Watching one of the girls go into a trance was possibly not the prettiest sight, rather scary actually, but the entire event was fascinating. 
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