BACK!!! - music, colour, bling and self mutilation! - The Indian Festival of Thaipusam

Ok ... I'm back!!!! So much to show and tell but lets start with something a little off the beaten path - the tamil festival of Thaipusam where devotees carry Kavadis (or burdens) as an act of devotion and placation.

 
Kavadis can take many forms, but the most spectacular are heavily adorned with bling and colour ... and are generally carried by devotees via spikes to the chest and back and also a spear through the cheek and tongue.

I love Thaipusam, everyone seems genuinely festive and appropriately festooned, despite the rather gut churning "mortification of the flesh" aspect to the ceremonies. I've always thought it most unfair that it has never been a designated public holiday. Now as a tourist, I can at least enjoy it without guilt or threat of censure from school and/or employer alike.

Please enjoy the video - (I'm loving my present to M - the idiot proof flip camera!)