Thaipusam - A Hindu Celebration in Singapore

Today blew me away.  I met up with a few friends to venture down to Little India to witness this event.

Thaipusam is an annual festival celebrated on the 10th Hindu month during the full moon when the brightest star shines (this year it happens to fall on January 20th).  The occasion honors the birth of the Hindu deity Subramaniam, who was victorious in battle using a spear.  He represents the power of good over evil.  Devotees celebrate this occasion with piercings.  I will warn you now - the pictures below are not for the faint-hearted.

According to an Indian woman who Tiffany and I met, the participation is entirely voluntary.  There is no “rite of passage” and it is not something that “must” be done by believers.  It is a day of penance and an opportunity to cleanse oneself and give thanks for blessings received.

In preparation for their participation, devotees cleanse themselves spiritually and physically.  They eat just one vegetarian meal per day for 2-4 weeks prior to the event.  Strict fasting occurs 24 hours beforehand.

In the early morning devotees wash in water spiced with tumeric, which represents goodness.  Most people participating in the day’s events wear yellow which is an "auspicious color" (this is a phrase I have heard more in 6 months than I have heard in my 42 before living here.) 

Thaipusam starts at Sri Srinevasa Perumal Temple on Serangoon Rd in Little India.  Last night trucks dropped off all of the equipment...kavadi frames (the arched steel structures carried by many devotees), spikes, etc.  To elaborate on the kavadi ... this is a VERY large and structure.  Some are over 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide.  They weigh up to 70 pounds.  They are decorated with peacock feathers, depictions of Hindu Gods and many other brilliant items.  Each one is hand made just for that particular individual.  They support these structures with wire rods attached to their bodies with hooks.

In the area around the temple (seemed about the size of a football field), devotees pray and make offerings.  There is incense burning everywhere and little areas of offerings of milk, fruit and other sweet foods. 

The Indian woman we met was there to support a friend of hers who was going to participate.  She explained that her friend had fasted, cleansed and made his offerings.  She also said that each participant dedicates himself to one particular God.  Their individual kavadi will be decorated with pictures or statues of their chosen God.  The kavadi will be enclosed in cloth until it is ready to be placed upon the carrier, and only then will it be “revealed.”

After prayers are said, the man’s mother will bless her son and wipe holy ash on his face.  He, in turn, will prostrate  himself on the ground and kiss her feet.  At this point, some of the women have induced themselves into a trance and go into a type of frenzy.

Once this is done, it is time for piercings to begin.  Each man, or boy, has a group of family and friends there to support them throughout this process, and they will also follow them along their 4KM walk.  As the first piercing is ready to start, the noise begins.  The family members start to chant prayers very loudly - right into the man’s ears.  

Each man has selected a trusted family member or friend to be the one who does all of the piercings.  The first piercing seemed to be always in the forehead.  From there they pierce based upon the load requirements of the kavadi.  Some participants also choose to “decorate” themselves with oranges or limes.  Each piece of fruit is individually hung from the body with a steel hook.

Alternatively, some men choose to pull their “God” in a carriage.  The carriage is attached behind the carrier with ropes attached to his back with steel hooks.

There were hundreds of people in this area and no fewer than 30 men preparing for their walk.  Over 300 men participate throughout the day and over 8,000 supporters & devotees support the participants.  Each man is stationed in their own area and are surrounded by their family & friends.  At times, during the 2 hours we were there, you would suddenly hear an escalation in the noise level.  Most groups had a drum and a bugle player as well.  At the times of the increase in noise, the music got faster and the chanting louder and more intense.  In each case we saw, this signaled that the participant was about to have their cheeks and tongues pierced.  The piercer wipes holy ash on the outside and the inside of the participants face & mouth.  He takes a long spike and pushes it through one cheek into the mouth and then out the other cheek.  I saw many men shedding tears, but never heard a sound and never saw a drop of blood.  The chants were LOUD and their purpose was obvious - distract the participant from the pain.  Then the participant sticks his tongue out and they pierce it from the top down with a 6”-8” spike that prevents his tongue from moving.  He cannot swallow nor speak.

I was both horrified and humbled.  

After all of this, the 70 pound kavadi is lifted atop the man and rested upon the spikes that have been inserted into his skin.  He then walks in a procession for 4KM followed by his loved ones.  When he starts to falter they chant louder.  Some do seem to enter a trance like state and even start to bounce themselves and their 70 pound burden to the beat of the drum.  It is a sight like none I have ever seen.