One of the most
interesting events in Malaysia is on festival season. This is because people in
Malaysia can experienced a variety of festival that being celebrated by different
races festival which are in the whole year round. It includes the Indian. The
main festival that celebrated by the Indians or Hindus is Deepavali and
followed by Thaiponggal and then Thaipusam.
Deepavali
This is a Hindu or Indian festival of light. Homes of
Hindus are lit with little lights to signify the victory over darkness for the
Hindus believe that this is the day when the forces of good overcame the forces
of evil. Deepavali is a major festival of the Hindus and on the eve prayers are
held both at home and in the temples. Hindus take a traditional oil bath in the
early hours of the morning on Deepavali day and after prayers entertain their
friends and guests to "open house.
Thaipongal
In Malaysia, Thaipongal is a harvest festival celebrated
out of season because it is fixed in the Hindu calendar. Tamils celebrate this
festival around the second week of January. While it is still dark, farmers
rise and cook some of the newly harvested grain. Pongall is the presentation of
the cooked harvested grain to the sun at dawn.
However, for urban families, this ritual has been adapted
to their own living conditions. Here the family rises, bathes and gets dressed
before dawn. This is done without the use of any form of light. When everyone
is ready, wearing their best clothes, they assemble around a display of fruits
and flowers. Only then are lamps lit.
Thaipusam
Hindus
celebrate Thaipusam on the tenth month of their calendar. The history of this
celebration is the day Goddess Parvati bestowed upon her son the “vel” or lance to
vanquish the evil demon, Soorapadam. This lance denotes spiritual insight,
ability to differentiate right from wrong, righteousness and steadfastness. However,
for many Hindus, Thaipusam has come to mean the birthday
of Lord Subramaniam, also known as lord Muruga, the younger son of Lord Shiva.
Thaipusam comes from the word 'Thai' which means the Hindu month which falls between
January 15 to February 15 and 'Pusam' refers to a star which is at its brightest
during the period of this festival.
The largest Thaipusam celebrations take place in Mauritius, Malaysia and Singapore. It is a public holiday in several
states in Malaysia, including Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Perak, Johor, Sungai Petani and Kuala Lumpur. However, in Malaysia the famous place to celebrate
Thaipusam is at Batu Ceves and Penang.
Thaipusam celebration at Penang
At Batu Caves
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