Spring Hats in Hong Kong

Such a colorful way to welcome Spring, season of birth and new beginnings.

This was captured by my daughter in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. It's a 25 metre art installation in Times Square, featuring 1000 colorful hats suspended over its piazza. This is lit up with special lighting effects at night in celebration of Spring.

The Community Heritage Exhibition, Kota Kinabalu ( Jesselton )

Something exciting is in the air! The Community Heritage Exhibition, “Bonding with Gaya Street” in Kota Kinabalu kicked off on Feb 11 and events have been lined up for the 11th and 12th weekend.

I rushed down to town to check out Gaya Street with hardly a thought for the blazing mid-day sun. I wasn’t disappointed.

Old photographs and stories depicting the old days of Gaya Street, the main thoroughfare in Kota Kinabalu, formerly known as Jesselton are on display on shop windows along the street.

Artists and schools have contributed their art in the form of colorful and creative sun shades which bring vibrance to the otherwise mundane appearance of a street parked with cars on both sides.

The sun shade below shows the train coming into town with the Atkinson Clock Tower in the background.

In the old days, the train came right into the town. Nowadays it stops at the outskirts. Below is a sunshade depicting a man looking at the approaching train.

There is a replica of the old War Memorial placed along the divider of Gaya Street.

Gaya Street is closed during certain hours during these two days to facilitate the events planned for this occasion. Programs include singing, oral story telling, music forum, plus music performances at night featuring the A Go Go theme by veteran musicians. There will also be a vintage car exhibit at Lintasan Deasoka, the beginning of Gaya Street, I believe, tomorrow morning as it is a Sunday and hundreds of people will throng the street which turns into a street market with vendors hawking all kinds of goods, from food, fruits, vegetables, clothing,dogs, kitchenware,flowers and plants, gardening tools, shoes and sandals, hats,bags, etc.,etc.

I don’t go out at night because of poor night vision so I will miss the night programs but tomorrow morning I will catch up on other parts of the exhibits that I missed today.

Thaipusam

On Tuesday 7th February, Malaysian Indians who are Hindus will celebrate Thaipusam. In Kuala Lumpur, a procession with a silver chariot bearing the statue of Lord Muruga will move from a temple near Chinatown to the Batu Caves accompanied by crowds of devotees.

En route to Batu Caves, the procession will stop at the Hindu temples where devotees offer trays of thanksgiving to the priests that accompany the chariot. The priests bless these offerings. Thousands of coconuts are also smashed on the road as a form of thanksgiving.

This symbolizes the destruction of the ego and in its place is humility. The devotee who smashes the coconut is casting off his ego and humbling himself in deference to Lord Muruga.

Many devotes fast and pray, practicing abstinence and celibacy, in the month leading up to Thaipusam. They carry offerings and climb the 272 steps to the temple in the main cave to thank Lord Muruga for wishes granted. Most pray for family blessings, such as good examination results for their children and good health while some women pray to be blessed with children.

Some devotees carry the Kavadi, a wooden arch with two pots of or honey at its end, decorated with peacock feathers. There are also some who pierce their bodies with hooks and skewers and carry elaborate kavadi.

This is done in fulfillment of vows made when they prayed for Lord Muruga to grant their wishes. The kavadi bearers are usually in a trance. The women usually carry pots of milk to the shrine up in the caves.

Devotees climb up the steps to the caves’ main temple. There is an impressive 140 ft statue of Lord Muruga at the base of the Batu Caves.

When they reach the top, they lay down their kavadi. The milk and honey offerings are poured on the statue of the deity as an act of thanksgiving. The priest chants as the kavadi bearers remove the hooks and skewers from their bodies. The wounds are treated with hot ash and there is no blood. The devotees do not feel pain as they emerge from their trance.