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Thaipusam

Monday, February 13th, 2006

Ok, I warned you guys that this is a different kind of festival. Western minds just do not understand it at all, and I’ll try and explain but I’m sure many people will come away shaking their heads. I’m still shaking mine, and I was there.
I had previously said the Tamil Hindus do this as a form of pennance, but that is not really true. This is thanksgiving for prayers answered, or in hope that future favors will be granted. Now, not everyone who participates pierce themselves or carries a kavadi. Many simply carry an offering of milk or flowers but some get quite extreme. The newspaper here even billed Thaipusam as ‘the world’s most extreme Thanksgiving’. The devotees are making offerings to Lord Murugan who is the son of Shiva.
Two more points I guess I’ll make about the festival and then get to posting some pictures. First, the people participating in these rituals are not from a remote tribe in the hinterlands. These people are engineers, doctors, lawyers, and students. Yes, students. Many young people participate and many are giving thanks for good grades and getting into a good university!
The second point is that the kavadi bearers are said not to experience pain during this as they are in a kind of religous trance. This is true, they definitely appeared to be in a trace but I did see some scars that I assume were from previous years.
Oh, a third note on Thaipusam: I read that it is celebrated mainly by Tamil Hindus outside of India. In fact, the celebration at Batu caves is the biggest of it’s kind with over a million devotees and curious onlookers. I don’t know why it is not celebrated as much by Hindus in India.

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Here are the throngs of devotees headed up the steps into Batu Caves. We got caught in the crowd and and went up also, once you are in the throng you can’t get out.

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Here is one of the elaborate kavadis. You can’t see the guy carrying this one but you can imagine how heavy they are.

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Pretty crowded at the bottom of the stairs. This is not a place for people who have a fear of crowds and being trampled.

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This is one of the kavadi carriers. Quite an elaborate burden.

Now for the mortification of the flesh photos. If you are interested in seeing people with hooks in their bodies click and check ’em out.
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More Chinese New Year

Monday, February 13th, 2006

Like I said, it lasts for over 2 weeks so we’ve gotten to participate in many more Chinese New Year traditions.

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We went for a traditional Chinese dinner at a nice restaurant that Clancy set up for us. Here is the group consisting of our new friends from KL and a few folks from Houston who happen to be working over here as well. The dinner was excellent except for a random dessert item that was described as tasting like ‘tortillas’, ‘cardbord’, ‘fish’ and ‘a belt’.

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We were lucky enough to catch the ‘lion dance’ on Chop Go Mei, the last day of Chinese New Year.

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This one was quite impressive. There are two guys inside the costume, and they are up on poles that are about 7 feet high!

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These guys are really talented!

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Here we are with Yuen Ching at her family’s get together.

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With Yuen Ching’s cousin Josephine and her family.

Cameron Highlands

Monday, February 6th, 2006
Last weekend we rented a car and took a trip to the mountains, an area called the Cameron Highlands. What a contrast to KL and the surrounding area. It was cold by Malaysian standards and the buildings were all done ... [Continue reading this entry]

Gong Xi Fa Chai

Thursday, February 2nd, 2006
Happy Chinese New Year Everyone! Welcome to the year of the dog. This whole week is a holiday here in Malaysia, but since I'll be leaving soon I got roped in to working anyway. It has been fun being in town, ... [Continue reading this entry]