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GEORGE TOWN (Bernama): It is very likely that the famous two-car procession, with the statue of Lord Murugan, during Thaipusam in Penang will be canceled next year due to Covid-19 to avoid mass gatherings.
The procession of the more than 100 year old silver chariot and the recent golden chariot is the highlight of the state’s annual three-day Thaipusam celebration.
The chairman of the Penang Hindu Endowment Board (PHEB), Professor Dr. P. Ramasamy, said the state will hold a series of meetings to discuss how to handle Thaipusam this year amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Our priority is the safety of all devotees, as the chariots are what draw the crowd, once there is a procession of chariots the crowd will be very difficult to control. We do not want the Thaipusam gathering to cause any new group “he told Bernama during an interview here.
Ramasamy, who is also the Senior Vice Minister II of Penang, said that the PHEB will take a very responsible consideration and make a careful decision in the interest of the general public.
“We still have to decide whether or not we have a carriage procession in Thaipusam. I don’t want to get ahead of anything … we will hold a series of meetings and let the health experts decide,” he said.
He said the more detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) on the celebration of Thaipusam will be released the first week of January after a discussion with the Department of Health, the National Security Council and the Royal Malaysian Police.
Ramasamy said that if the authority decided that there should be no chariot procession, no panthals and no kavadis, he urged all devotees to respect it.
“People, when it comes to religious matters, can get very emotional, but I just want to remind them to adhere to all SOPs set by the authority as it is in the interest of the general public,” he said.
Hindu devotees celebrate Thaipusam on the full moon day of the Tamil month of ‘Thai’. Next year, that date falls on January 28.
Every year thousands of devotees will follow the chariots on foot along its approximately 8 km route before reaching Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani temple and Nattukkottai Chettiar temple at Jalan Kebun Bunga here during Thaipusam festival.
Meanwhile, Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani temple president Datuk R. Subramaniam said he believed the crowd would be smaller this year compared to previous years, where more than 1.2 million Hindu devotees, including international tourists, joined in the celebration.
He said that people are aware that the Covid-19 pandemic still exists and that they would put their health at risk if they did not comply with the SOP.
“I think all the devotees will understand that we can’t celebrate much and most likely they are only allowed to do their prayers in the temple,” he said.
However, Subramaniam said that the temple’s execution team had done simple preparation and was ready to control and manage the crowd during Thaipusam.
Thaipusam is commonly believed to be the birthday of Lord Murugan, who received the divine vel (spear) from his mother Parvati and defeated the evil demon Soorapadman.- Bernama
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