Asyura, Tatung, Thaipusam

A Festival of Pain

Steel sticks protrude from human faces and sharp chains dangle over bodies. The Thaipusam is not a festival for the faint of heart, Hairun Fahrudin previews of one of Malaysia's largest cultural events.

In Iraq, the festival is called Asyura. In Singkawang, it is called the Tatung Parade. In Selangor, it is known as Thaipusam. Despite the different names and traditions, these festivals share one similarity: the act of inflicting pain upon oneself in front of thousands of people.

Among the Tamil Hindu community of Malaysia, Thaipusam is held on the tenth day of the Thai month on the Tamil Calendar, which falls sometime between late January and early February. This event is held to honour the God Murugan, the daughter of Shiva and Parvati. During the full moon on that sacred day, the Goddess Parvati is said to have given a sacred spear to Murugan to defeat the evil Surapadman with. This mythical sliver of history eventually led to Thaipusam: a day when good triumphs over evil.

Attended by over a million people, Thaipusam is also known as one of the world's largest festivals. What is even more amazing is the fact that the Selangor festival is even larger than the one held in Tamil Nadu in India, the festival's original location.

History sheds some light on this phenomenon. The people of Tamil Nadu migrated to Malaysia back in the nineteenth century to work on British-owned rubber plantations. Excruciating labour conditions, low wages and an insufferable feeling of alienation from their homeland led the Tamil Nadu people to seek the guidance of Murugan, who symbolises hope and protection.

I took a trip to the Batu Caves on a train from Kuala Lumpur. The train was packed with Tamils and tourists, and it was only 7 am! It was so packed in fact that the train operators had to extend operational hours to 2 am and increase departure frequency. Alas, all of that effort seemed to have been in vain, as trains came and went, and people jostled inside them like sardines in a can. Passengers from KL Central Station did not even have the chance to board, and I had to jostle my way through hundreds of people.

The Thaipusam began at midnight. Participants hauled a silver carriage bearing a statue of Murugan from the Sri Mahamariamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur down to Batu Caves, 15-kilometres away.

As they walked, they pounded drums and Yelled, which was wholly in keeping with the spirit of the event. It was not an easy trip though. Many were carrying 20 kg Kivadi, ornaments decorated with pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses.

To balance their heavy loads, the haulers wore iron belts. Some pierced spoke-like objects through the naked skin of their backs and chests, while the screaming and yelling helped to take their mind off the pain.

For the Indonesian layman, the Thaipusam is not unlike the Debus parade. This particular festival, however, carries a deep meaning. It is symbolic of sacrifice and of the separation between the body and pain. Many participants had meditated and had refrained from eating certain foods before the event. A similar philosophy is shared by those who pierced their mouths and tongues with spear tips, as such acts bar them from communing and concentrating fully on their God.

The participants from Kuala Lumpur arrived at Batu Caves, which were now thronging with both the faithful as well as tourists. The participants climbed the steep stairs towards Batu Caves, which were already brimming with traders and visitors.

It felt like a very long 272 steps upwards. Closer to the top, some of the Kivadi-carrying pilgrims had stopped for a breather. Visitors raced to help pilgrims carry their Kivadi. Those British rubber plantations are now but a distant memory, but the God that lifts the spirits of the Tamil people during their times of need is eternal.