Thaipusam, Singapore - Arrival

Waiting to enter the temple.

After a four kilometer barefoot walk in the noon day sun, the devotees wait patiently to enter the temple. The procession starts before dawn, but those doing the walk at noon probably have the toughest time of it. The temple has to stop the devotees coming through for about 10 minutes to do the mid-day prayers. During that time a little traffic jam of kavadi's develop. The waiting is difficult. Exhausted after the long walk and enduring the spikes, some are close to fainting and have to be supported by their friends.

Despite their exhaustion, the long line, and the wait to enter, reaching the temple and the end point of their arduous journey is a cause of celebration. The group of people supporting the kavadi carrier will throw a coconut on the ground to shatter it as an offering. Groups break into song, whistling, singing and drumming to support the carrier. The devotees often spin into dance in an emotional burst to get them through the last lap.

Whirl


That last lap gets even tougher. Some devotees will don these nailed clogs to climb the final steps of the temple steps to deliver their offerings.



Nailed clogs!