In the article, the City Times reported on the annual Thai Poosam Kavady prayer, which was held at the Benoni Sivan Alayam Temple, on January 24.
Part of the information contained in the article was sourced from a website, which led to incorrect facts being published.
The article stated that devotees fast for 48 days. In fact, the period varies from devotee to devotee and the fasting period includes a minimum of 10 days leading up to the Sunday prayer.
This fasting period is broken during the 10 days after the evening prayer.
We stated that the sacrificing of a goat is the high point of the ceremony. Kavady ceremonies do not include sacrificing a goat, or any other animal, whatsoever. The high point of the ceremony is, in fact, when milk is poured over the statue of Lord Muruga. This milk is collected from containers carried by devotees who have embarked on a procession around the temple. This milk is poured into a large container, which is then poured over Lord Muruga’s statue.
The newspaper also stated that the ceremony concludes with a feast, which is not true.
The article mentioned that all devotees go into a trance. Not all devotees go into a trance, nor are all devotees pierced.
The errors contained in the article were at no stage printed to cause harm or upset anybody who may have been affected by the misleading information, or any reader whatsoever.
The publication accepts that the information did cause harm and upset its readers, and apologises for that.
