Thaipusam

After Kevin talked about the Thaipusam festival that occurred earlier this month in Malaysia, I had to look this up on google. It is a Hindu festival that is celebrated in elaborate fashion and is a public holiday in Malaysia and Singapore. Devotees fast and cleanse themselves in preparation, then shave their heads, carry "burdens" and pierce themselves while undertaking a pilgrimage.

From Kevin's letter last week: I guess the whole idea of the festival is to show the gods that you really want a particular blessing by sort of torturing yourself in their honor. The most common ways are by putting about a dozen nasty looking hooks in your back, and having someone pull them while you walk a few kilometers, or else carrying a nine foot tall mini-temple with an idol in it on your shoulders from the river to his temple. I guess that one often gets combined with some good ol' fashioned hooking as well.

I'm amazed at the diversity in the world.