February 2017

February 2017 was a busy month for us. Most of the activity was centered around two major festivals that happened to coincide this year. Thaipusam is on a fixed date whereas Chinese New Year is lunar-based therefore it is moveable and can engulf Thaipusam.

Thaipusam is a major Hindu festival that lasts for three days. Strangely it is forbidden in India in many places but it is big in Malaysia, especially Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Indians tell me that Penang is the better festival. Over one million Hindus descend on Penang Island for the three days and produce a whirl of colour and noise.

I have photographically covered the main Thaipusam parade previously but I have not followed and photographed the route of the chariot(s) from a base temple to the final temple on the route.

This year there was added spice to the transit of the chariot…or chariots this year. The local PHEB…Penang Hindus’ Endowment Board has pointed an accusatory finger at the board that has run the chariot each year for over 100 years. This group have a silver chariot whose main function is to carry priests who bless offerings from folk and to collect donations. 

The Chettiars board who controls this apparently have a minority of Malaysian Indians and the accusation is that a high proportion of the donations received goes back to Uttar Pradesh in India. The Chettiars were wealthy landed folk who made a lot of wealth through money lending. The rival factions are also split by the troubled cast system cast. PHEB administers the final destination temple and decided this year to have their own chariot…..a Golden ene…..smaller and powered by the people rather than 2 bulls. The Gold Chariot was slated to start the route 1.5 hours before the silver chariot in the early hours of the morning……the latter organizers did not like this and said they would leave before midnight. The police however had different ideas and despite a rain delay the Golden Chariot took off earlier that the established rival. Mike from our quiz team) and I positioned ourselves near a temple on the ambitiously named Times Square…..we had an elevated view but had to wait a while for the action.

With the passage of the chariots……...every so often, the crowd wishing things blessed halted the chariot’s passage until the blessings were given….then this was repeated…many times. Piles of coconuts were blessed and broken before the arrival of the chariot. It is traditional to break an odd number….from 1, 3, 5 etc. Women are not supposed to do this but a number certainly did. In all the Hindu events in the following days a number of Chinese could also be seen to be taking part. 

The local council is well prepared for the detritus of Thaipusam and the tidy-up does not wait until tomorrow.

The Golden Chariot passed slowly by us as devotees had their offerings blessed.

The Golden Chariot meets the Golden Arches

Although at one point the silver chariot was only a few hundred yards in arrears it took almost three hours to reach us...having had a major pit-stop at the temple across the road. The priests took offerings outside the temple and then across the road after the chicane was negotiated.

It appeared to us that the gold chariot had certainly taken something from the Silver chariot supporters. Just below us the silver chariot went through a chicane before continuing its journey. We had seen new bulls connected to the vehicle and wondered if they were specialist chicane bulls.

The street was a riot of colour with the women and men in colourful attire, preparing their offerings (a small cart went before the chariots for this purpose), children dressed in yellow performed a stick dance while the silver chariot was flanked by peacock dancers.

The following day was the turn of the devotees to carry out their respective pledges.

Thaipusam had ancient origins and anchors around Murugan. Murugan is the embodiment if Shiva’s light and wisdom and devotees pray to him the overcome obstacles they may face. He is the divine vanquisher of evil. The motive of Thaipusam festival is to pray to God and to receive grace so that bad traits may are destroyed. On the day of the festival devotees will shave their heads and undertake a pilgrimage along a set route while engaging in various acts of devotion, notably carrying various types of kavadi (burdens). At its simplest this may entail carrying a pot of milk, but mortification of the flesh by piercing the skin, tongue or cheeks, with val skewers are also common. The simplest kavadi is a semicircular decorated canopy supported by a wooden rod that is carried on the shoulders to the temple. In addition, some have small spears through the cheeks.

Various imposts are self-imposed, piercings, walking on nails, walking with your tongue protruding, blindfolded, tape across mouth etc, etc. 

There were cold drinks and medicated water to splash along the way.

Or various rituals using smoke....and perhaps mirrors.

Amongst the piercings I thought the following sign was a bit off. It would be like advertising bulking supplements in a jockeys room.

The route is lined with many stalls offering food or drink and colourful sweets. Various accessories for the event are sold in stalls and fortune tellers…..often with the aid of a card-picking parakeet…give predictions for the coming year. 

Coconuts were still being broken along the route of the pilgrimage. 

I try to do something different each year and decided to ascend the hill to the target temple. That was not a good idea as so many were making that pilgrimage….I bailed before the halfway point.

Pilgrims carrying a big impost were stripped of their burden in another temple at the foot of the hill.

Mixed in with Thaipusam we celebrated Chinese New Year when we went one evening to a nearby temple where we observed locals at prayer and watching a Lion Dance. We ate at a nearby restaurant (at the top of the picture by the breakwater) and observed the colour lanterns and adornments that had been placed on local landmarks that included a multitude of tulip lights of different colours.

As the weather gradually improved I tried to keep a steady photography adventure going. I have said the Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters were a no show this year…….not entirely true as two appear like ghosts once in a while to taunt me. My kingfisher pair have proceeded with their breeding schedule. There has been plenty of sex, house-hunting and killing insects. The female sits in the princess chair in the central tree while the male works hard to feed her. She does feed herself sometimes.

Sometimes there is an interlude when a  Paddyfield Pipit, Flameback Woodpecker(s) or a Barn Swallow gets in my sights.

Elsewhere the wet weather seems to have delayed things significantly. One place usually has several species of owls in resident at this times of the year……but more no-shows this year.

All three mating images were taken on the same morning.....I had to go home I was exhausted...but not until the traditional post-coital activity took place.

I am not sure if the female Kingfisher is the same one as last year....he has already had one replacement. Juveniles have a light colour pair of eyebrows and this female has that marking. I  thought the male was feeding one of last years juveniles. She is however a flirt.

Around the house the new grass is doing well. The sprinkler system is finally back on song and seemingly doing its nurturing job. As the weather gets drier and hotter the local birds like the evening sprinkle and the fantails waggle their bustles while the sunbirds squeal with delight as they slide down water-lubricated leaves.

In the pub quiz we have been doing OK despite not having our full team for a lot of the month. We have fallen off the dais in the last few weeks.

I was rebuked last month for not mentioning the Black Caps......who? They continue their very patchy form...boys one day and men the next.The Penang boys did watch the Super Bowl final which featured a real Lazarus act by the Patriots.

We have been fairly steady with guests this month. Locals, a couple from Ukraine and Russia and a solo from Luxembourg. I asked the newly married couple if they had war like their countries.....'only our parents do' was the reply. The Luxembourg ex-academic was one of the most self-absorbed, pain-in-the-arse persons I have ever met. Being an old bachelor is sadder than the All Blacks losing to Australia.

I went to Fraser's Hill for three nights on the invitation of a friend from Singapore who wanted to show the environment to his wife. The trip started well with some good sightings but the following day was a complete washout with continuous rain and mist. The following day started the same so I came home. 

Female Red-headed Trogon (sought-after species)

Streaked Spiderhunter (should be Nectar-hunter)

Red-throated Barbet (he was bathing in water in the fork of the tree)

Sultan Tit

Plain-throated Sunbird (you could think of a better name)

Mum and Juvenile Siaman (the largest Gibbon, they are known as the Kings (and Queens) of swing.

As mentioned there was some research on moths going on through the rain.  There are likely the same number of moth species in Fraser's Hill as the total number of bird species in the world. The Moths on the white cloth (one is green with age) are recorded on the camera before the dawn when birds and squirrels come for breakfast.

I have part-learned making sausages from the hosts at Fraser's. I have been bugged by the sausage skins. They are expensive, tend to burst on being stuffed and we have found them rather hard to eat. I use pig intestines I had to get in from the UK. Freight adds to the expense. Stephen and his wife have come up with a great solution. The sausages are stuffed into plastic sleeves used to make kids 'Icey pole' ice blocks. The sealed sleeve is boiled for 10 minutes and then the contents are slide out and browned in the fry pan.....the result moist, skinless sausages, no bursting and easier storage.. The first batch is currently underway.