WATCH: Temples host Kavady
The annual Thai Poosam Kavady festival saw devotees observing ancient and meaningful rituals.
AFTER abstaining from meat and observing strict discipline for a month, a colourful parade to three temples on the South Coast took place last week.
The Umzimkulwana Shri Shiva Soobramoniar Temple, the Port Shepstone Tamil Association and the Umbango Siva Soobramoniar Temple celebrated Kavady with colourful and impressive displays of devotion.
Kavady signifies devotion and the essence of life, where participants are encouraged to follow the strict requirements dedicated to Lord Muruga, the Hindu deity regarded as the God of protection and preservation.
Devotees carry the Kavady, which is a wooden frame decked with flowers, Hindu deities, lime, other fruit, and milk.
It is a festival of purification where prayers are offered and penance is observed for a month. This year saw many devotees pierce their bodies with pins laced with various items (lime, fruit, flowers) while others pulled a large chariot with hooks attached to the skin on their backs.
The Kavady symbolises the carrying of one’s burden and the laying of it at the Lord’s feet.
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