This Sunday 12th June is a public holiday for the island’s Tamil community. In the streets of Saint-Paul, the faithful celebrate the Cavadee in honor of the god Muruga.
Dressed in pink, the Tamil community of Cavadee island celebrates in the streets of Saint-Paul.
Purify the believers
Celebrated in the west of the island, Cavadee is an important festival for the Tamil community: “The pink color we wear for Cavadee, explains a devotee, represents when Muruga became Samnyâsin. It means that he has renounced the spiritual life. You have to be as pure as Muruga,” he concludes.
Serge Coujendaivel Ajaguin-Soleyen, President of the Shiva Vishnu Karly Association of Saint Paul, points out: “The Cavadee is a very important moment. It is the birth of Muruga and a blessing to us. Lord Muruga was born to keep us away from anything that is bad for life, i.e. disease or bad planetary influences,” he confides.
An awakening of the senses
This edition marks a return to needles after two years of health restrictions. The ritual consists of piercing different parts of the body, as one man explains: “This moment is important for us because it balances our lives. Today, being able to reconnect with all of this, we experience it with double intensity. Offer this pain to the Lord, the fact of having a little bit of pain, it’s a little bit that makes it sacred, not everyone can do it “, he says.
The traditional sugar water is also involved: “It’s water, lemon, sugar and cardamom,” explains a man, “we’re in penance, we have to drink that, they’re the drinking gods,” he says.
The next Tamil festival is held on July 1st in Saint-Denis in honor of the goddess Karly.
Patrick Riviere.