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Photoessay: Faith, Through Fortitude.
- yzhensiang
- Feb 7
- 3 min read
For some, faith is spoken in words. For others, it may be in the form of offerings though mostly unseen. It is during the Thaipusam, that I personally witness how faith became something visible, measured not by belief alone, but by what one is willing to endure. Devotees gather, pray, and commit their bodies to the ritual. Through fasting, long hours of walking, and the carrying of heavy offerings, faith is carried through endurance. For some, this commitment extends further — the body itself becomes part of the offering, marked by piercings and kavadi borne through the crowd. These acts are not performed for spectacle, but as fulfilment: of vows made, prayers answered, or promises quietly carried over time. Endurance, here, is not separate from belief; it is how belief is lived.
Thaipusam is a Hindu festival dedicated to Lord Murugan, the deity associated with virtue, youth, and the triumph of good over evil. Specifically, it commemorates the moment when Lord Murugan was given the Vel, a divine spear bestowed by his mother Parvati, to defeat the demon Soorapadman. The Vel is not only a weapon, but a symbol — of clarity, resolve, and unwavering purpose.
In Penang, the festival unfolds as both ritual and journey. The golden chariot, bearing the Vel, moves through the streets as a powerful emblem of divine guidance. The silver chariot, carrying Lord Murugan himself, follows — drawing devotees to come forward for offerings, prayers and blessings, some may also choose to walk alongside it, some for hours, some through the night, each step an act of devotion.
Along the way, offerings are made. Milk is carried in heavy pots, coconuts are smashed against the ground, fruits and flowers are arranged with care. These acts are not symbolic gestures alone; they are fulfilments — responses to prayers answered, vows made, or promises carried quietly for years. In this year’s celebration alone, an estimated 225,000 litres of milk were offered, alongside 127 tonnes of coconuts, as more than a million devotees and visitors took part in the procession.
For some devotees, the journey of devotion goes deeper than surface offerings. In fact, it is truly fascinating to observe what they can do with their body. Piercings, kavadi, and chains become extensions of belief — not displays of pain, but expressions of trust and surrender. Endurance here is not sought for its own sake; it is embraced as a form of worship, a way of placing faith beyond words and into action.
Yet Thaipusam is not defined by hardship alone. Between moments of strain are moments of calm — a glance upward, hands clasped in prayer, a pause amid the noise. Faith exists not only in extremes, but in repetition, patience, and presence. It lives in the collective movement of the crowd, in shared labour, and in the quiet understanding that each journey is personal, even when walked together.
This photoessay does not attempt to document every stage of Thaipusam. Instead, it represents the lingering fragments of my memory as an observer— gestures, offerings, bodies in motion — traces of a larger devotion. What emerges is not a singular narrative, but a rhythm: faith, through fortitude, that are fulfilled not at a destination, but along the way.
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