Procession of Faith

[eikin]

quoting some information from http://sam11.moe.gov.sg/racialharmony/PrimarySchool/articles_thaipusam.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaipusam :

Thaipusam is a Hindu festival celebrated in January or February annually. Thaipusam is actually derived from "thai" which means "10th", and "pusam" meaning "when the moon is at its brightest". It is thus celebrated when the moon is full in the Tamil month of Thai (between January and February). Dedicated to Lord Subramaniam (the youngest son of Shiva and Parvati, also known as Lord Murugan) the deity of youth, power and virtue, and the universal granter of wishes, this festival is a time for devotees to ask for a future favor, fulfill a vow in return for a granted favor, or to repent for past sins.

In Singapore, this Hindu festival starts at the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple at Serangoon Road. The kavadi carriers, together with their relatives, friends and well-wishers congregate here in the morning to participate in the procession which will take them through Serangoon Road, Orchard Road and finally to the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple, commonly known as the Murugan Temple at Tank Road or Chettiar's Temple. All along the way, devotees chant hymns in praise of the deity. The kavadi carriers' arrival at the Murugan Temple at Tank Road marks the accomplishment of their task. A mixture of fruits and honey is prepared and distributed among the devotees.
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only covered some parts from the starting point of the procession, here they are ...

#1 Sri Srinivasa Temple

 

[eikin]

#2 Preparing the cloth that is tightly wrapped around the waist.
This cloth wrap is to protect the kavadi carrier's back from the pressure of the kavadi's weight.

#3 Piercing amidst the scented incense smoke in the temple compound ...

#4

#5 The wrapping of the waist ...

 

[eikin]

#6 friends in a discussion on how to proceed with the kavadi's installation on the carrier ...

#7 so far so good ...

#8 next come the skewers ...

#9

 

[eikin]

#10 attaching the ornamental strings of golden beads ...

#11 now this requires some concentration ...

#12 once ready kavadi carriers wait patiently for the ceremonial procession within the temple before moving out ...

#13 less frequently seen, a lady kavadi carrier ...

 

[eikin]

#14 the music starts, signifying the beginning of the procession for the next group of kavadi carriers ...

#15 carriers start a slow paced dance to get accustomed to the load ...

#16 musicians leading the way around the temple ...

#17 quite a number of carriers are spotted with needled sandals, moving with some difficulty ...

 

[eikin]

#18 the kavadi carriers ocassionally go into a mild trance, which helps to 'lighten' the load of the kavadi ...

#19

#20 the kavadi carriers arrive at the main gate of the temple after their round in the temple ...

 

[eikin]

#21 each kavadi carrier is given a blessing ritual at the gate for his/her oncoming journey ...

#22

#23 as Serangoon Raod is a major traffic way which cannot be totally closed off,
the carriers have to wait for the police to stop the traffic infront of the temple so that they can proceed ...

#24 another young devotee spotted ...

#25

 

[eikin]

#26 each wait is really a test for the carriers ...

#27 finally they can proceed

#28

#29

#30 expensive and elaborate kavadis are often a show of sincerity in the procession ...

 

[eikin]

#31 young kavadi carriers are often accompanied by family members, bringing along food, drinks and chairs ...

#32 the young devotee looking at his father, who held onto the kavadi to help lighten the load a little ...

#33 another wait at a traffic junction for this kavadi carrier ...

#34 and his friends getting impatient with the route marshaller who cannot help them stop the traffic ...

#35 the wait finally over and back to the journey again ...

 

[eikin]

#36 songs and dance with a bunch of friends make the journey much more enjoyable ...

#37 an old devotee pulling along a shrine, with the entire family cheering on ...

that's it! thanks for viewing

 

[zhang3feng]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: POWER!

 

[Chris Lim]

Very very good presentation with documentary notes attached. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Very very impressed too!

 

[zcf]

good presentation.

 

[eikin]

thanks guys glad you guys like it. wonder if anyone covered the night portion, there's supposed to be some ceremony with firepots i heard :think:

 

[dede]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

amazing pics

 

[CYRN]

This is really reportage and event coverage... not juz some pics of the event. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[eikin]

thanks dede and CYRN just trying my best to make it more comprehensive ... actually still missed out quite alot of details :embrass:

 

[CYRN]

thanks dede and CYRN just trying my best to make it more comprehensive ... actually still missed out quite alot of details :embrass:

Too much details might cloud the "overview" of the event. Some important highlights should suffice to give others the "feel" of the event which, IMHO, you did a good job.

Did you follow them all the way to the other temple?

 

[eikin]

Too much details might cloud the "overview" of the event. Some important highlights should suffice to give others the "feel" of the event which, IMHO, you did a good job.

Did you follow them all the way to the other temple?

thanks again CYRN didn't have time to go to the other temple, would love to see what really happens there but had to attend/cover our constituency's CNY dinner with poohbear

 

[CYRN]

thanks again CYRN didn't have time to go to the other temple, would love to see what really happens there but had to attend/cover our constituency's CNY dinner with poohbear

hahaha..oic... at least you've got a feast waiting for your guys. ;p