Reflections on the Thaipusam Festival

This pilgrimage of kavadi bearers reminded me of another religious celebration I watched in amazement on TV almost 6 years ago.

It was a few weeks after the invasion of Iraq. For the first time in many years (for these events had been repressed under Saddam Hussein), Shiites were allowed to perform their pilgrimage to one of the holiest Shiite sites in Iraq. On this pilgrimage, thousands of men walk for days rhythmically beating their backs and shoulders with heavy chains, while chanting their religious incantations. I was mesmerized by this sight and I immediately thought "what have we got ourselves into? Who are these people? And we want to establish a democracy in that country?"

There were similar acts of self-mortification in the celebration of Christian holy days ... and you can see some of them enacted in an Ingmar Bergman movie (The Seventh Seal): a procession of people flogging themselves ... but this was in the Middle Ages, 800-900 years ago. We do not see such scenes anymore in the Western world, certainly not in large cities.

Yet religious fervor still pushes Hindus to perform such acts in modern Singapore.

Here is a link providing more information on the festival:
http://www.etour-singapore.com/thaipusam-singapore.html

One thing struck me: none of these men seemed to suffer from their body piercings or from carrying loads that put pressure on many spikes anchored in their flesh. Some of them were even dancing around. What gave them that endurance, that forbearance of pain?

The white powder spread on the areas where the spikes entered their flesh must have been what prevented bleeding ... the article says that this is sacred ash!