Sunday, October 12th, 2003 – Day 236
I was up at 9.00am and rushed down to the NET cafe to see the scores of the match. I was very disappointed to read the match reports. We lost!!
Ireland lost 2-0 in the football game against Switzerland. I heard they were disapointing. See the match report.
- More trouble in Bolivia (about shipping its gas through Chile) and a bus crash in Peru killed 30.
- I see DBC Pierre who is up for the booker Prize has been living in Leitrim
I knew that the THEEMIDHI festival was on at 4.00am tomorrow morning. There was no point paying another 22 SGD if I was not going to be there. I backed my bags and booked out (leaving my big bag there). I now had a full day and night to kill.
I headed to LAVENDER street metro station. There is a bus station close by and I wanted to buy a ticket to Kuala Lumpur(Malaysia) for tomorrow morning. It took me a while to find it. There is only a few fabricated sheds selling tickets. I expected another post and big Singapore development. Its just a car park!!! I had the choice of a 30 SGD executive bus or a 20 SGD Economy class ticket. Buses were leaving throughout the day. As I wasn’t paying any accommodation costs tonight and I would be wrecked tomorrow, I bought a Executive ticket leaving at 9.00am.
I head to a Chinese food Court nearby. I had a tiger beer and watch Canada V Wales in rugby.
Nobody else had any interest. I decided to head back to Chinatown for a walk around. I had to top up my metro card by another 10 SGD. I passed Sri Mariamman Temple and it was a hive of activity. They were preparing for THEEMIDHI. This was the reason I was staying so long in Singapore. I promise, there is NO other reason.
Witness the faith, courage and endurance of Hindu devotees at this breathtaking fire-walking ceremony honoring Goddess Draupadi. According to the Indian epic poem Mahabharata, she proved her innocence by walking barefoot on burning coals. With intense concentration, barefooted devotees likewise brave a four-metre bed of red-hot embers – completing the challenge miraculously unscathed. Festival celebrations begin at 2 am at the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple; the fire-walking starts at 5.30 am at the Sri Mariamman Temple.
During this festival, a great number of faithful Hindu devotees work themselves up into a trance. Then they walk over burning embers. What is so amazing about this is the fact that the devotees’ feet do not have any traces of scars or burns at all after performing the feat. The devotees’ purpose in doing this is to fulfill all their wishes
I was there for nearly two hours watching the men dig the fire pit and goats milk pit. I watched bring the firewood to the pit and make various preparations. It was good.
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Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Singapore – THEEMIDHI. (12-10-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Singapore – THEEMIDHI. (12-10-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Singapore – THEEMIDHI. (12-10-2003)
I decided to head away and get a bite to eat. I would have come back round 8.00pm and stay to maybe 6.00am. Aggggg. I headed back to little India and ate and went on the NET for an hour. I was back in the Temple for 8.00pm and the pit was ablaze with firewood. It was packed. If you were a VIP you could get to a upper floor balcony. The common people had to sit on the wet ground. I found a small corner and sat down for a VERY long wait.