Bizarre, Macabre or Religion?

WARNING : THE FOLLOWING POST IS RATHER GRAPHIC. PLEASE DO NOT READ ON IF YOU:

1. are squeamish
2. hyperventilate/faints at the sight of blood
3. are horrified at the sight of body piercings
4. scared of needles

I am not responsible for any emotional trauma you might sustain. You have been warned.

When I was in primary school (7-12 years of age), I was exposed to "Thaipusam". Thaipusam is a hindu festival celebrated by Tamils.

"The festival commemorates both the birthday of Lord Murugan (also Subramaniam), the youngest son of Shiva and Parvati, and the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a vel (lance) so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman.





left picture (side) - Thaipusam Burdens
left picture (below) - Vel Kavadi
right picture (below) - Murugan Idol




Devotees prepare for the celebration by cleansing themselves through prayer and fasting. On the day of the festival, devotees will shave their heads undertake a pilgrimage along a set route while engaging in various acts of devotion, notably carrying various types of kavadi (burdens). At its simplest this may entail carrying a pot of milk, but mortification of the flesh by piercing the skin, tongue or cheeks with vel skewers is also common. The most spectacular practice is the vel kavadi, essentially a portable altar up to two meters tall, decorated with peacock feathers and attached to the devotee through 108 vels pierced into the skin on the chest and back. Fire walking and flagellation may also be practiced. It is claimed that devotees are able to enter a trance, feel no pain, do not bleed from their wounds and have no scars left behind. However, some of the more extreme masochistic practices have been criticized as dangerous and contrary to the spirit and intention of Hinduism."

-Quoted (and all pictures above) from Wikipedia.com


I have always been really squeamish. (I can think about my veins and feel the insane need to protect them after. You know when you've just seen someone's wrist get cut on television or in a movie, you get this tingly, aching feeling in your own wrists? You get paranoid about them being cut by accident or bursting - ridiculous but my mind is very imaginative - and you grab them or hide them up your sleeves, or bundle them in your blanket or shirt, or you cross your arms and keep them out of sight, and so on. That's how squeamish I get.) I remember when I first learnt about Thaipusam, I thought to myself :

1. Oh My God! (I know, I used God's name in vain...)
2. Why would anyone want to walk on fire or pierce themselves with needles, especially with a heavy load to support?
3. Doesn't that hurt?
4. Are they crazy?

Of course, when I grew a little wiser (and older) I began to understand the religion more, and my thoughts changed into:

1. How can that not hurt?
2. What devoted beings.

Yet still, I do get a little squeamish when I see these devoted beings in action with their 'burdens' during Thaipusam. This explains why I don't really watch the parades. Why all this babble about Thaipusam? Well, someone sent me an e-mail the other day, with something that placed the Vel Kavadi in my nothing-to-get-squeamish-about list.

THIS IS YOUR SECOND WARNING. IF YOU ARE EASILY DISTURBED BY GRAPHIC IMAGES OR ARE VERY SQUEAMISH PLEASE DO NOT READ ON.

I am not a Hindu, so I admit I do lack the intimate cultural knowledge as to why exactly things that cause 'harm' to your body are part and parcel of the celebrations. Even if these practices do not hurt, aren't they harmful to your body? I mean, carrying a huge weight, supported by thin 'skewers' can't be good for your back or body. However, every religion has its own practices, which I am inclined to accept. If you are Hindu, I would appreciate if you could explain to me how all these rituals fit into your religion.(No offence intended.)

I have no idea if the following pictures you are about to see are from a religion that practices a ritual of a variation similar to Thaipusam or if they are from a show. I have no idea if these are mediums (A person thought to have the power to communicate with the spirits of the dead or with agents of another world or dimension) or not. I have no idea where these pictures were taken from. My thought for today is simply this: Why this extreme?

THIS IS YOUR THIRD AND FINAL WARNING.