An ethnographic description of Kavady, a Hindu ceremony in South Africa

SYNOPSIS In this paper I describe a sectional ceremony associated with Hindu religion in South Africa. Kavady was introduced by people of South Indian origin, and is typical of many sectional ceremonies in which a certain number of devotees become identified with a particular deity. The ceremony is backed by various myths and follows a typical Hindu ritual pattern. The deity worshipped symbolises the power of good over evil. The opening is marked, by the raising of a flag in his honour, and participants take a vow of purity for the period of 13 days to do his work. The main identification takes place on the 10th. day. The devotees are people who have recovered or are recovering from an illness or other misfortune and have made a vow to “carry kavady” for the deity Subrahmanya in thanksgiving. The identification of the privileged few is both psychological and physical and is translated as “trance” or “god‐possession” in which condition ordinary people manifest powers beyond those evident in profane existence: they possess powers of the god

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Ceremony · Ethnography · Hinduism · Honour · Literature · Misfortune · Mythology · Possession (linguistics · Power (physics · Sociology · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Anthropology · Classics · History · Indian History and Philosophy · Philosophy · Religious studies · South Asian Studies and Conflicts