Kâvadi Thaipusam

The festival of Thaipusam Kavadi is a day of thanks. In fact, those who prayed to Murugan throughout the year (that is soliciting all sorts of things: to find a spouse, passing exams, having a baby, prosperous health...) come to thank him for having answered their prayers. Therefore offerings and sacrifices are performed throughout the day.

Process of the ceremony

Three categories of persons are allowed to participate in this ceremony:

- The Brahmins (the priests) who carry the bushpakâvadi, arches covered with flowers

- The Kshatriyas (the kings and administrators) who carry the palkâvadi (reduced milk), the veelkâvadi (needles), the mayilekâvadi (peacock feathers) and paneerkâvadi (rose water)

- The Vaishyas (the merchants) who will carry the palkâvadi (milk blessed) and veelkâvadi (needles).

The Brahmans participate annually in this celebration and the tradition is passed on in the family. People from all other castes must pay and register in advance. The previous evening, the faithful come to live at the temple. Their food is provided for by the wealthy families of the village.

The morning begins with a ritual bath in the sacred pool, followed by shaving of heads, as the hair will be given as an offering. Once the head is shaved, a coat of sandalwood and some rose water is applied to the skull for a refreshing effect.

The preparation of kavadi is conducted at 3 places in the village, one for each caste (we followed the Vaishyas). The first group, that of the Brahmins, were seated in the wedding hall. The second group was in the Ganesh temple and the third that we followed was designated place considered sacred for generations. In this case it was a garden with a well.

The kavadis, arches from neem tree wood and bamboo are brought here to be decorated with flowers and placed on sacred milk pots; meanwhile the people who will carry them begin their cleansing ablutions. Then comes the veelkâvadi: after coming back from their prayers the penitents pierce their cheeks, tongues or other parts of the body with needles. These can be the size of knitting needles or in some cases like lances, several feet long. While being pierced, the men and women are in a trance, and this causes no bleeding.

Once the needles are in place and the kavadi on the shoulders, the followers proceed, dancing their way to the temple. Before entering inside, they pass over a bed of burning coal installed outdoors; everyone runs a few meters on the embers, then heads into the temple. Here, milk and rose water are poured on the statue of Murugan, symbolizing purification. The priests conserve some of the milk to bless the faithful. The penitents then remove the needles to drink the sacred milk and perform a few more prayers to thank Murugan. Finally, the worshipers’ roll on the ground around the temple and the day ends with a dinner hosted by the villagers.

On our return to Pondicherry, we stopped at another village where the celebration took place; there the men had metal rods planted in their cheeks that were several feet long. Another man was walking on shoes with nails planted in them, and others had hooks embedded in their backs that were attached to vehicles, which they pulled!

More photos of the festival in the photo gallery