How time flies. It has been a year since my last session trying to document the traditions of Theemidhi, or Firewalking as commonly termed in Singapore.

This religious ceremony held yearly at the Sri Mariamman Temple in the heart of Chinatown (Singapore), gathers a huge crowd. The Theemidhi Ritual is dedicated to queen Draupadi of Mahabharata who is worshipped as Draupadi Amman in Tamil Culture. (source).

Devotees seek for their wishes and prayers to be heard by their Mother Goddess. A Hindu festival which originates in Tamile Nadu, South India, it is celebrated in the month of Aipasi, of the Tamil calendar, usually in the month of October and November. In honour of Draupati Amman, who is the incarnation of Mariamman, and is practiced not only in India, but also in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia and other countries with large South Indian populations. (Source: Wikipedia)

Due to the human congestion (yes, the temple and surrounding areas were packed to the brim), I didnt get to photograph the firewalking. I did however, get to speak to a volunteer, Mr Rajoo, who spent the days prior to the festival right up to the end of the session, providing a beverage specific to the devotees. Its called Mooru.

A mixture of plain yogurt, salt and curry leaf, it dispells body heat (you get heaty after walking over the coals), and it soothes your heart.

Served ice cold, it was a cool welcome in the heat of Singapore. Devotees slurped it down in huge gulps, relishing its refreshing flavour. I of course, took a cup. It was....not my cup of tea though. It was salty. If it was sweet, I would have no qualms, but it was indeed refreshing!

Women and children are not permitted to firewalk. Seen here waiting under shelter from heavy downpour in Singapore, the ladies wait patiently for their husbands who are attempting to complete the firewalk. In all, about 3,800 devotees did the walk. Year on year, an increase in attendance is recorded.

Street Nov004

Devotees who wish to partake in the firewalk have a set of rules to observe prior to the ritual. These are some of a few I knocked off a colleague -

• Forty days prior to the walk, they go Vegetarian
• They refrain from sexual relations, even with their wives
• They sleep on the floor, with no mattress, and without their wives
• Begin fasting, reducing their meals to 1-2 meals a day
• Stop using vulgarities, cursing and loosing their tempers
• Pray daily

**All images shot on Leica M-mount, with a Voigtlander 35/1.4 SC or a Voigtlander 28/1.9 with Kodak Tri-X rated at 1600 ISO.