Hindus hold annual public Kavady parade
Public parades were held in Dundee and Glencoe
Hindus marked the annual public Kavady festival following weeks of fasting.
The festival occurs in the month of Thai (the 10th month on the Tamil calendar) and on the day when the full moon passes through the star “Pusam”. This event is called “Thai Poosam”. This festival is one of the biggest festivals on the South Indian calendar in South Africa.
The Kavady prayer and penance is observed over 10 days by devotees. The devotee has to abstain from various things like alcohol, drugs etc. They have to observe celibacy and maintain a vegetarian diet for this entire period. The Kavady procession is seen as an outward demonstration of mass devotion to God as Lord Muruga.
There are various reasons for carrying the Kavady but the two main categories are firstly to express thanks to Lord Muruga or to ask Muruga for help in overcoming a particular problem.
