How's your New Year's resolution progressing? What? You've already forgotten about it! What happened -- not enough determination? Well, I suggest you not tell the Hindu people in Malaysia about how you broke your New Year's resolution. Because unless your resolution involved sticking hooks into your body, putting a skewer through your mouth or piercing your tongue with long metal objects, your resolution pales in comparison.
The Taipusam festival, which this year fell on Feb. 11, is a chance for Hindus to show penance or gratitude (take your pick!) to the gods. It happens every year in the Hindu month of Thai, which coincides with the ascending Pusam constellation. At this time, nearly 1 million people gather at the Batu Caves north of Kuala Lumpur to honor Lord Muruga and to carry out their vows. This year, I made sure I was there.
This Hindu ritual, which is banned in India, is carried out through self-mutilation, trance and milk -- milk because it is believed to promote "satric," or purifying, qualities. Truly a family event, the youngest participants were newborns, and the oldest was a woman with hair so long, she had to tie the end into a bun just above the ground to keep it from dragging. The participants form a long procession that ends at the Sri Subramaniaswamy Temple.