All you need to know about Malaysia

Malaysia Bests Festival : Thaipusam Day

THAIPUSAM is an annual Hindu festival which draws the largest gathering in multi-racial Malaysia - nearly a million people in 2000.

Several hundred devotees spear their cheeks with long, shiny steel rods - often a metre long - and pierce their chests and backs with small, hook-like needles in penance.

Thaipusam falls on a full moon day in the auspicious 10th Tamil month of Thai when the constellation of Pusam, the star of well-being, rises over the eastern horizon.

In Kuala Lumpur, the festival is celebrated on a mammoth scale at the Batu Caves temple on the outskirts of the city. It began in 1892, started by early Tamils who migrated to colonial Malaya.

On the eve of Thaipusam, a five-ton silver-chariot bearing Lord Murugan's image and followed by a procession of several thousand people leaves the Sri Mahamariaman temple in downtown Kuala Lumpur, on a 15-kilometre trek to Batu Caves.

To many Thaipusam is the day of thanksgiving or atonement for wrongs.Spectacular edifices or kavadis are often carried or pulled by the devotees with chains and ropes anchored in the skin of their backs or chests.After ritual cleansing at a stream at the foothills, they walk up the 272 steps accompanied by family and friends.

But kavadi carrying need not be so arduous. Just carrying a small pot of milk up the steps to be poured on the vel is enough. Most devotees do this.Some parents carry newborn babies slung in a cloth-cradle hung on a pole shouldered at both ends by the mother and the father as thanks for a safe birth.

Some also carry kavadis made of wood or metal adorned with pictures or statues of Hindu deities, flowers and peacock plumes.Others shave their heads bald as a symbol of humility and atonement.Many observe a strict vegetarian diet for about 40 days and renounce all forms of comfort and pleasure-giving activities. The 40 days are spent in meditation and prayer.

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Royal Langkawi International Regatta

2008 edition of Royal Langkawi International Regatta. Running through until January 11th, this premier sailing event features returning champions and other competitive sailors from the region and across the globe. We'll be posting updated results and other news as the race happens.

Royal Langkawi International Regatta 2008 is organized and hosted by the Royal Langkawi Yatch Club.

More http://www.langkawiregatta.com

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Le Tour de Langkawi

Le Tour de Langkawi

History

Le Tour de Langkawi (French for "Tour of Langkawi") is an annual cycling race which is held in Malaysia. The name of the event comes from the starting point of the first few editions, in Langkawi, Kedah, although some later editions did not include Langkawi in the race at all. The race is part of the UCI Asia Tour.

The race was created by former Malaysian Prime Ministers Tun Mahathir Mohamad. It was held for the first time in 1996 with twelve stages and a prologue stage where the classification and time do not count. However, under the UCI's request, the tour was trimmed to ten stages starting with the 2002 tour.

In 2004, the existing owner of this race, Datuk Wan Lokman Dato Wan Ibrahim, a cousin of former Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir Mohamad sold the entire Tour to Simon Donnellan (aka Imran Abdullah). The 2005 race was beset with financial problems, with some riders not receiving prize money and large contractors not being paid. With this dark cloud hanging over it and impending legal action, the 2006 race was run on a smaller scale. There have been allegations of fraud and mismanagement, but the accusers have, after many months, still failed to produce any evidence that this is the case apart from pointing to the lack of funds for creditors. In Late 2006 the Malaysian government resolved some of the outstanding debts in order to preserve the future of the event. Responsibility for the running of the race was given to the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF). In the week preceding the 2007 race, the former organizers, First Cartel were legally wound up in the Malaysian High Court. This leaves the existing creditors in an uncertain position. Simon , MD of First Cartel, now has no further interest in the race, although there remains some dispute over the ownership of the event's name. Simon Donnellan was also banned from being within 100m metres of the 2007 race, however he was regularly spotted on the race acting as if nothing had happened.

There have been two incidents that caused stage cancellation. First it occurred in the first stage of the 2004 edition with police officials mistakenly opening the way for public vehicles onto the race track while the race was still ongoing to decide the winner of the first stage. After negotiations between the riders, they decided to neutralise the stage.

The final stage of the 2006 competition was cancelled with ten laps remaining due to heavy rain. Because of deteriorating road conditions, the race organisers decided to abandon the stage and declared Angel Vallejo as winner because he was leading at the time of the cancellation.

more http://www.tdl.com.my

Labels: Events

January 2008 blasts!

Malaysia International Space Adventure

Labels: Events