A Hindu devotee to the Thaipusam enters the parade in a trance
I'm a sucker for photographing religious festivals where men, women and even little kids fall in trances and then shove metal pikes though their tongues and cheeks. Another favorite is the devotees who have hundreds of fish hooks pierce their back so they might then pull a fully loaded wagon.
I grew up in Oklahoma and attended my share of Baptist tent revivals on the windswept plains. A fair number of high school beauties convinced me to attend and enjoy an evening of shouting and promises. That was usually followed by a few rounds of smooching in the backseat of whatever jalopy I was driving at the time. But I digress.
Most of what I witnessed never stuck. Matter of fact, none of it did. It hasn’t stuck to me in Southeast Asia either but I can’t resist a colorful festival such as Malaysia’s Thaipusam celebrations.
The festivals are a public holiday in several states in Malaysia. The temple at Batu Caves, near Kuala Lumpur, and a number of others often attract over one million devotees and tens of thousands of tourists.
At its simplest, the pilgrimage may entail walking the route carrying a pot of milk. But mortification of the flesh by piercing the skin, tongue or cheeks with skewers is also common. In addition, some pierce their tongues or cheeks, all the way through, with a small spear.
Unlike the Vegetarian Festival in Phuket, Thailand, this one is a notch down on the “weird” scale but I did photograph a fair number of entrenched devotees.
I grew up in Oklahoma and attended my share of Baptist tent revivals on the windswept plains. A fair number of high school beauties convinced me to attend and enjoy an evening of shouting and promises. That was usually followed by a few rounds of smooching in the backseat of whatever jalopy I was driving at the time. But I digress.
Most of what I witnessed never stuck. Matter of fact, none of it did. It hasn’t stuck to me in Southeast Asia either but I can’t resist a colorful festival such as Malaysia’s Thaipusam celebrations.
The festivals are a public holiday in several states in Malaysia. The temple at Batu Caves, near Kuala Lumpur, and a number of others often attract over one million devotees and tens of thousands of tourists.
At its simplest, the pilgrimage may entail walking the route carrying a pot of milk. But mortification of the flesh by piercing the skin, tongue or cheeks with skewers is also common. In addition, some pierce their tongues or cheeks, all the way through, with a small spear.
Unlike the Vegetarian Festival in Phuket, Thailand, this one is a notch down on the “weird” scale but I did photograph a fair number of entrenched devotees.
Devotees parade with buckets of milk that later become a blessing during ceremonies at the Thaipusam in Kuala Lumpur
A devotee to the festival Thaipusam calls out while in a trance
A devotee enters into a trace at the Thaipusam in Kuala Lumpur
A devotee to the festival Thaipusam gains merit as he pulls a wagon with fish hooks attached to his back
Devotees with pierced cheeks arrived at the Thaipusam festival parade area in Kuala Lumpur
A devotee to the Thaipusam festival has their head shaved as part of the ceremony
A family pauses to be photographed at the Thaipusam festival in Kuala Lumpur
for more detailed information Wikipedia has a page full of information