Depavaldi in Malaysia
October 19, 2003

While we were in Kuala Lumpur, the Hindu residents were preparing to celebrate the Deepavali holiday. I have no idea what this holiday is about, but one website I just read says this: "Everyone forgets and forgives the wrongs done by others. There is an air of freedom, festivity and friendliness everywhere. This festival brings about unity. It instils charity in the hearts of people. Everyone buys new clothes for the family. Employers, too, purchase new clothes for their employees." Another one adds: "And all this illumination and fireworks, joy and festivity, is to signify the victory of divine forces over those of wickedness." Sounds good to me. In any case, one of the traditions (in Malaysia at least) is creating big patterns on the floor with small beads. This one was at the mall next to the Petronas Towers. A 3-piece Indian band (at the bottom of the picture) provided traditional music.