Thaipusam 2015

I think I'm falling behind on my #100happydays 

On the second day of the second month of the year 2015, I finally gathered up the courage to brave the Thaipusam crowd, where stories of violent drunkards in sardine-like conditions prevailed over the true feel and focus of this religious festival.

It was Day 43 of my 100 Happy Days and I'm most obliged to blog more than a snippet for this event.

Despite having a strong dislike for crowds, brushing up against sweaty people and shouldering my way past dawdlers while avoiding bare toes of the devout, I armed myself with an Indian culture-enthusiast, a couple of 'seasoned' visitors, and the danna who was equally disinclined to be part of a mass congregation but willing to experience the atmosphere as part of a once-in-a-lifetime-should-be-enough-in-case-we-miss-anything,

FOMO I tell you, most solemnly.

As usual, I overdressed...or more accurately, under-dressed. I was the only person among the thousands, to be wearing a short skirt. Clearly, I wasn't thinking straight, but then again, when have I ever?

Stuffed a few bucks and my identity card into my bra, gripped my phone firmly to my torso and off I went. We probably missed the bulk of it when we arrived at about half past seven in the evening as we could walk at more than a snail's pace and stride into gaps ala Tyra Banks. All for the better it seems, I could take in more at once: the brightly coloured sarees and punjabi suits, the beautifully decorated kavadis and stalls, my magpie eyes were drawn to the jewelry on display but mourned my lack of passion and bravery for such statement pieces, and the supporting crowd around each kavadi bearer. The significance and symbolism of it all was lost on me but seeing the effect on the those who know better was the only thing I took back.

We had expected to go the whole nine yards for the event but taking everything into perspective, we probably only did a quarter or less by starting from the Gottlieb Road junction all the way up to the big temple on the hill and back.

None of the advice and stories were true to form. The only drunk episode was during dinner when the guy at the next table did a slow slide off his chair and his mates were too tipsy to haul him up themselves. We didn't help, neither did we look much - just in case. Treated it all as part of the scene. The kavadi bearers didn't have disturbing, morbid piercings, nor were they in eyes-rolled-back trance. Everything looked pretty normal. Even the typically terrible attitude of Malaysians chucking their rubbish at every corner. The traffic jam was horrible but because of the recently widened roads and well-rehearsed traffic divergence, it wasn't horror stories of being stuck in traffic for hours. At most, it was 40 minutes crawling inch by inch on Scotland Road.

The next day as I drove back, I expected chaos akin to the aftermath of a nuclear explosion. However, the roads were pretty clear and rubbish wasn't strewn too haphazardly on the grassy pavements.

I grew up learning about Thaipusam as an event to get super pissy faced; an event that clogs up already busy streets of Penang; a dangerous event where we should just stay home and use the public holiday to catch up on school and house work.

I'm now grown up and re-learning that Thaipusam is a religious festival and it's only a small portion of ignorant youngsters that get super pissy faced; a celebration by a culture considered a minority but nevertheless, one of many in this melting pot of race and culture of a country; an event to be equally revered and respected as one's own - not that I'm well versed in my own race/culture.

I'm pretty ignorant and under-educated in most things not animal-related, anyway. hehe.