The past weekend has been one marked with much fanfare among Malaysians across the country, as we celebrated not one, but two especially important festivals in the local calendar that fell on February 5th, 2023. Those of the Hindu faith celebrated Thaipusam, which commemorates the moment when Goddess Parvati bequeathed the divine spear, ‘Vel’, to her son Lord Murugan. On the other hand, the local Chinese community reveled in Chap Goh Mei to commemorate the final day of the Chinese New Year celebrations.
Thaipusam procession meets lion dance performance
And nowhere has this diverse coming together of festivities been more evident than in a video that was filmed and uploaded by local TikTok user rajaratnamsabaratnam2 just two days ago that has since been widely shared across local social media channels.
Filmed on the day of the Thaipusam processions that were held in the Ampang district, the 2-minute and 8-second clip documents large crowds that flooded the streets in order to witness the chariot procession up close. But as the silver chariot ferrying Lord Murugam and his consorts, Valli and Theivana, made its way down the road, many were also thrilled when they noticed that it was being accompanied by a lion dance performance alongside it.
In a stunning display of cultural harmony, spectators looked on as the lions in blue danced their way around the chariot as curious felines do, while a large flower garland was brought up to drape ceremoniously on Lord Murugam.
Vibrant and lively, the sense of jubilation was only further amplified by the intermingling of devotional music with the rhythmic beats of Chinese drums in the background. A subsequent video also uploaded by Mr Raja shows another lion dance performance that took place later during the day during Thaipusam.
A true show of strength for Malaysian unity
Both videos have since been viewed more than 150,000 times as of writing, with many netizens praising the strength of unity that exists in a country that is as multifaceted as Malaysia.
“Now this is one Malaysia.”
“Isn’t it best how people in Malaysia respect each other’s religions.”
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