Thaipusam

Thaipusam

Thaipusam celebrates the day Goddess Parvati bestowed upon her son the “vel” or lance to vanquish the evil demon, Soorapadam. This lance denotes spiritual insight, ability to differentiate right from wrong, righteousness and steadfastness. 

However, for many Hindus, Thaipusam has come to mean the birthday of Lord Subramaniam, also known as lord Muruga, the younger son of Lord Shiva.

Hindus celebrate Thaipusam on the tenth month of their calendar.
It coincides with the full moon at the end of January and beginning of February 'Thai' is the Hindu month which falls between January 15 to February 15 and 'Pusam' refers to a star which is at its brightest during the period of this festival.

Celebrated in all parts of the world where there is a concentration of South Indians, the manifestation of the festival is best witnessed in Malaysia at Batu Caves and Penang. The manifestation of the festival is best witnessed at Batu Caves, which is 10km from Kuala Lumpur. The festivities cantered at Batu Caves is an exciting and thrilling spectacle but it also gets very crowded and claustrophobic and you need a lot of patience.

In K. Lumpur, it culminates in a three-day Thaipusam festival which begins from Sri Mahamariaman Temple at Jalan Tun H.S. Lee in Chinatown and ends at Batu Caves. On the eve of the celebration, Lord Muruga’s image is decorated with diamonds, rubies and other jewels. The Idols together with those of his two consorts Valli and Deivayani represent the spiritual and worldly energies (shakti), is placed on a bed of flowers with burning incense on the sides. In the wee hours of the morning, the five-tonne chariot is pulled by two bulls and hundred of devotees on its 15 km journey from Chinatown to Batu Caves. The procession weaves through major streets of the city and takes about 8 hours to reach its destination. A prayer ceremony is held at the foot of the caves and the flag of Lord Muruga is hoisted to announce the commencement of the celebrations.
Leading up to the event, Hindus prepare themselves by fasting, praying and observing austerities. Devotees carry offerings and climb the 272 steps to the main cave to seek forgiveness for past deeds or to thank Lord Muruga for wishes granted. Some devotees carry the Kavadi, a wooden arch with two pots of or honey at its end, decorated with peacock feathers. However bearing a simple pot of milk up to the shrine is all that is required.

Kavadi (offering) carriers are devotees who have requested favours, and have had their favour granted or wish to atone for past misdeeds. Usually, a vow is made to carry the kavadi for one, three, five or even seven years in succession. Common requests are recovery from illness, success in examinations or business or to beget progeny. Only a small number of women devotees pierce their bodies. Most of them carry pots of milk or a pair of coconuts slung across their shoulders instead. Traditional musical instruments are played, and chants of "Vel, Vel" fill the air.

These forms of offerings are overshadowed by more elaborate ones with huge metal frames and bedecked with decorations in the belief that the larger the kavadi the more resolute is one’s devotion. Skewers protruding through cheeks and metal hooks and spikes are also to be seen. This is a quaint evolution of the celebrations not found in Hindu Scriptures and its origins are lost in antiquity.

Hinduism advocates that the body should not be harmed as the body is akin to a temple that the soul resides in.Some devotees however,choose to believe that the only way to salvation is to endure a penance of pain and hardship. However, they are able to tolerate this ordeal of pain as they are in a trance-like state. There is no blood and they prepare themselves for this by undergoing specific rites during the preceding month.

Austerities are followed and the body and soul disciplined to refrain from all forms of worldly activities. The devotees overcomes any form of pain as their minds are attuned to only one thing – spirituality and liberation from worldly desires.

Once the devotees bath in the nearby river, they go into trance and have the kavadi placed on their shoulders or their body pierced, they walk from the river to the temple grounds and climb up the steps to the caves main temple high above.On reaching,they lay down their kavadi and the milk or honey offering is poured on the statue of the deity as an act of thanksgiving,Those with hooks and skewers have a priest chant over them as the metal implements are removed and the wounds treated with hot ash.There is not a drop of blood,no pain and even more amazing, no scarring at all.

In other places in Malaysia,the festival is also celebrated.In George Town,Penang,it centred at the Natukkotai Chettair Temple at Jalan Kebun Bunga.To watch the celebration in Ipoh,go to the Kallumalai Arul Temple at Jalan Raja Musa on the banks of the Sungai Kinta.On Pangkor Island,the Thaipusam procession starts from Pasir Bogak and ends at the Sri Pathirakaliaman Temple on the eastern coast.

The crowds at all venues are huge, especially in Batu Caves.Interested visitors are strongly advised to go there on the eve of the festival and preferably at night to avoid the sweltering day-sun heat and the crowd on the festival day itself.

Ponggal

Thai Ponggal 

The four days of Ponggal have their own individual significance,Held in

the middle of January,Ponggal continues through the first four days of Thai month that starts in the mid-January.The word Ponggal literally means "boiling over" and  is celebrated by Hindus to mark the harvesting of the bounteous crops in the fields. 

The houses are cleaned, painted and decorated and Kolam's (ground patterns made out of rice flour) are made in the front yards of the houses. The day begins with the making of Kolams at the entrance of homes, as early as possible, in the morning.It is auspicious to draw the Kolams before sunrise so that the sun god can see them and come to bless the particular household.  

very household, prides itself on making the most exquisite floor drawings outside their homes. These patterns drawn with rice flour, dyed in brilliant hues It is an art handed down from one generation to the other.Kolams (ground patterns made out of rice flour) generally drawn with rice flour are special to the occasion.The idea behind using rice flour is that the insects would feed on it and bless the household.

Sweet rice,known as Ponggal,is cooked in a new earthenware pot at the same place where puja is to be performed.Fresh turmeric and ginger are tied around this pot.Then a delicious concoction of rice, moong dal, jaggery and milk is boiled in the pot on an open fire.

This Ponggal,according to ritual, is allowed to boil over and spill out of the pot.Once the Ponggal is ready it is tempered with cashew nuts and raisins fried in ghee.Ponggal,once ready,is offered to God first,on a new banana leaf along with other traditional delicacies like vadas, payasam, etc. Besides this,sugarcane,grain,sweet potatoes etc.are also offered to the Sun God.

 

The following day is known as Mattu Ponggal or the Ponggal of the cow -a day dedicated to the revered cow.The fourth day of Ponggal also holds special importance.This is the day when the bond between friends and relatives are re-strengthened by visiting their homes and sharing thoughts of love and care.

 

Legends Related to Ponggal

Like many other Indian festivals,Ponggal also has a few interesting legends attached to it signifying the importance it holds.The most popular legend is the one connected to the first day of the Ponggal celebration when the Rain God, Bhogi or Indra is worshipped.According to the legend, on this day Lord Krishna lifted the Govardhan Mountain on his little finger to shelter his people and save them from being washed away by the rains and floods.

Another legend is associated with the third day of Ponggal celebration,also known as Mattu Ponggal.According to it,Lord Shiva once asked Nandi,his bull,to go to earth and deliver his message to the people - to have an oil bath every day,and food once a month.But Nandi got it all mixed up when he delivered the message,and told the people that Shiva asked them to have an oil bath once a month,and eat every day.Shiva was displeased,and told Nandi that since the people would now need to grow more grain,Nandi would have to remain on earth and help them plough the fields.Mattu Pongal is also called Kanu Pongal,and women pray for the welfare of their brothers.

Hindu Festivals

It's been said often enough that Hindus celebrate everything. So they do. The birth of gods, death of asuras, victory of the gods, marriage of the gods, the new year, new months, full moons, new moons, harvests, birthdays, initiations, marriages, deaths, anniversaries - you name the event, and it is reason for music, dance, processions, and what have you.

And there is the religious bit lurking behind it all. The reasons for this lie deep, in the origin of Hinduism as an organic religion. Its followers have over time considered anything, animate or inanimate, to be sacred and aspects of divinity. 

That is also why even secular events like harvests take on religious overtones, with the patron deity presiding over the festivities. As soon as something happens, there is a kind of thanksgiving to the divine that follows it. 

Apart from the universally celebrated festivals like Dussehra, Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi, there are others that are observed in specific communities or geographical areas. Hindu holidays are also confined to particular regions by the importance a certain god enjoys. 

Worship of Kartikeya (as during the festival of Skanda Shashti) is predominant in Tamil Nadu, where the god is considered a patron of the region. Onam is a good example of a festival that is celebrated solely by Keralites. Another interesting aspect of Onam is that it is perhaps the only major Hindu festival that celebrates the reign of an asura king, although a benevolent one. 

The profusion of legends and the contradictions inherent in them is reflected in festivals too. Travel around the country, and you will hear people tell you a variety of legends involving different gods behind a single festival. Besides, you will also find versions of the same festival being celebrated under different names in different regions. 

All this adds that facet of unending novelty and constant change to the strikingly colorful kaleidoscope that is India. You might end up thinking the thought: "The more things change, the more they remain the same", which is something often said about India and its magical agelessness. 

With so many holy days and more than 20 major Hindu festivals, the calendar should be liberally sprinkled with them. But it isn't so. There is a distinct festival season, which runs from late August through December. This is when there is a fever of celebrations, with a string of important festivals following one another in a rush. 

But the major festivals are not the only ones that the people celebrate. Browse through the Hindu almanac, and you will find a mention of holiness or sacredness against almost every day of the year. Most of the lesser festivals are lesser because they have a private rather than public face. There are rituals for phases of the moon, solar and lunar eclipses, days of the week, a person's auspicious star or zodiac sign.