Thanks to Eddie for sending in these shots from rituals held in Rinching, Malaysia. You can find lots more photos of cultural rituals in BME’s galleries.
12 thoughts on “Malaysian “Play Piercing””
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Thaipusam…its great !!! Glory to Lord Murugan.
super atractive and amazing ritual
Wow. This I like.
i very much want to travel to see this
and the vegetarian festival in thailand
like wicked bad
What are the hooks made of? Does using (what appears to be) low quality metal have any risks?
you know what, Sah? I tend to think the same thing… but then i realise how long they have been doing these rituals… im thinking decades.. they MUST be doing something right along the way to stop any infection or irritation… its just not obvious here. 🙂
Sah – It’s a non-issue due to the temporary nature.
I always wonder where the ideas for such rituals came from. Like how was it decided to do what is done, who came up with the ideas, original initial logics behind it all. that sort of thing
my girl and i were stranded by blocked roads (in preparation to the huge possession march that was to ensue) last week, and we witnessed the rather amazing initiation rites of the midnight prelude to kavadi.
the worshippers were unanimously clad in yellow, and many a time they were echoing a trance-inducing song (of sorts) that eminently praised the beauty of “kavadi, kavadi, kavadi”. many literally fell onto their knees in prayers to the slow-moving trucks cradling the effigies of Ganesha. the chosen guardians of the statues, clad in white and seated around the shrine, were honoured with appreciative acknowledgements through clasped praying hands and jasmine flower showers too.
just being there left the both of us speechless…
what concerns my kavadiwalks i did and do. I use also cheap metal and resharp them when i do the ritual again.
and i can say i do that already many years and never had problems with it.
Is like Shannon say “It’s a non-issue due to the temporary nature”. for wish_I_were_a_dragon…, check this link for your story
http://murugan.org/kavadi.htm
I wish I were a dragon,
I’m not sure if it’s this particular ritual, but there are similar ones practiced in the region. The purpose is to take offerings to a temple. It is believed that offerings made under extreme physical duress are more valuable. Not only are you making a sacrifice of food, but also offering your pain. It’s a common theme in many rituals.
these are quite awesome