If you like crowds, and really really loud Indian music, have we got the place for you. Right in front of Charles and Linda's neighborhood the first couple of days in February. Toss in high 90s temps and free street food (vegetarian) and some great styles of entertainment and mix in State Fair, various religious pilgrimages, and be sure to bring your ear plugs (I did).
These guys- perhaps thirty, were dancing and rhythm hitting sticks together and against each other and totally creating a traffic jam as there is a general flow of people attempting to get to Waterfall Temple near the top of a hill in a park next to C & L's house. One million people were expected to attend Thaipusam this year. -includes lots of tourists like us.
and more than a few guys like these guys pulling a wagon with a model of some god on it with hooks in their backs, yes hooks. pulled tight.
There were also groups of guys with no apparent purpose. This was one of the nicer looking groups. They are dancing in front of one of the speakers. The speakers were not hard to find. Note the size. They would cause your sternum to vibrate, your head to throb, your knees to wobble, and stomach to tighten. Loud is not an apt descriptor. That rolling boombox at the stoplight next to you is playing lull-a-byes that are barely recognizable as sounds in comparison. This puts those guys back home to shame.
There are also guys with large head dress contraptions. They dance and whirl and make progress toward the Waterfall temple too. Occasionally one of these guys is overcome with heat/exhaustion and takes a serious rest. They are attended by some of the guys with no apparent purpose.
I should mention colorful saris are the order of the day. The dad did get more of a white dot than most get. I got white dots on two occasions. Hard to miss as priest helpers pass them out pretty freely. Sometimes just for standing still as I found out.
Jewelry is also part of the show.
Those are milk jugs strapped to the pilgrim, Milk is one of the offerings to the god at Waterfall Temple. Enough milk is dumped to turn a creek white.
Here a man with a kavada - I think that is the spelling of the thing on his head - is dancing, note his feet and his pants twirl.
A chariot pulled by bulls is carrying a Lord Murugha - the diety- worshiped at Thaipusam. (I have more photos of that elsewhere).
and in preparation for the chariot, coconuts are broken to spill coconut milk on the road to clean the road — get it — the coconut milk is clean— never mind that it is scraped up by a front end loader and street sweepers before the chariot gets there. Note Mark and Charles breaking coconuts. It is done with great enthusiasm. Look closely, Charles's has just burst and Mark is at height of full swing. They were late to the pile and had to glean for unbroken ones.
A pile being prepared for use.
The street in front of displays of various iterations of the god are all along the street sponsored by various organizations and groups. Elaborate paintings decorate the street in front of the little "temple". People often stop and make offerings or pray in front of these. Many times at these booths free food and drink are offered. Some of the food is quite good, some is a bit spicy. All is vegetarian.
I think this is one of the appearances of Lord Murugha. He has several different manifestations according to what I understand of this particular Hindi belief.
and this is one of the food distribution lines, we were in this one. The curry was spicy, the tofu was great, the pumpkin would set you free - my sinus is forever clear.
and I know getting these milk jugs pinned onto your body hurts, this guy showed real pain as he was getting loaded up. Others we saw were stoic.
The colors were amazing.
more to come
Interesting experience. The pictures are incredible.
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