Dressed in colourful sarees, devotees of the Benoni Tamil School Board (BTSB) and Shree Arulmigu Arthanareeswarar Kovil, paraded through Khan Street, Actonville, on January 25 to celebrate Thai Poosam Kavady.
Chants echoed from the temple, signalling the start of the annual Tamil festival, celebrated on the full moon day in the 10th Tamil month of ‘Thai,’ January and February.
The 10-day event is dedicated to lord Muruga, the son of lord Shiva and Parvati, during which devotees observe celibacy, and abstain from consuming alcohol, meat and drugs while maintaining a vegetarian diet.
Food offerings for the deity are also prepared every morning or evening.
The temple which is a prominent cultural and religious landmark in the city, has been observing the festival since its inception in 1947 and draws devotees from far and wide as they participate in the act of penance and gratitude.
As the smell of burning incense filled the temple grounds, devotees sat in quiet prayer in front of intricately adorned wooden or metal kavadis before following the temple’s elders in a precession as they carried a large Kavady, followed by the chariot.
“It is with absolute humility that I share my gratitude to Muruga, for entrusting our team in hosting this year’s event,” said Sashnee Naiker, BTSB president.
“Committed members of the BTSB and devotees were drenched in our lord’s love. It was a truly blessed day for all.
“Many hands and hearts were led by the divine to bring together devotees in worship while we took the time to feed the hungry mouths of our community.”
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