Saturday 22 January 2011

Thaipusam!

The other day (Thursday) I went to Little India in downtown Singapore and as the name suggests (for those who aren't familiar with Singaporean diversity) the area is full of Indian-heritage Singaporeans. So it was my first time in Little India since being in Singapore this year, I had been meaning to go earlier  but I was preoccupied with essay writing.[I decided to skip that post wasn't sure if it should be posted. It simply read: Got 2  essays done in about 8 days. They might not be good but you've got the rain and I've got the sun. Two Fingers to you UoM!]

But anyway, I can do things now and I chose to start with the Hindu festival of Thaipusam. The story is that a goddess gave a god (her son) a 'vel' to vanquish a bad guy. Of course the good guy wins, Good Defeats Evil yayyy let's celebrate!

So how do the Hindus of South East Asia celebrate this momentous occasion? Well it's simple, they hook sacrifices and floats (kavadis) to there bodies and walk for miles from one temple to another. It's is most definitely awe-inspiring. One of those don't knock it til you've tried it situations. And of course with it being a religious festival its amazing to see the lengths people will go to tell God they appreciate Him. A few times that day, I questioned "what do I do to show God how much I appreciate Him?" It makes you think...

Anyways, below are some pics of guys and their kavadis and the general atmosphere on the Serangoon Road  in Little India.




There is nothing noble in being superior to some other man. The true nobility is in being superior to your previous self - Hindu Proverb

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