Fire walking feat in Singapore: 26-10-2007
In homage to the courage of Hindu goddess Draupadi, every year Singaporeans perform the brave feat of walking across hot coals as part of the Thimithi Festival.
This year October 29th will be the date when devotees prepare to test their stamina, bravery and faith by traversing a 21-foot pit of burning coals without showing any signs of pain.
At 13:00 participants take ritual baths at the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple before they make a four-kilometre pilgrimage to the Sri Mariamman Temple.
In the evening, the pit of fire is prepared around five hours in advance of the feat, accompanied by prayer and rituals.
In the early hours of the morning, the first to walk across the burning embers is the chief priest of Sri Mariamman Temple, followed by barefoot devotees. Everyone is welcome to watch.
Draupadi is a heroine of the epic poem Mahabharata, a princess who proved her fidelity to her husband by walking across burning coals, and followers of the goddess show their own purity by doing the same.
Many people turn out to see the spectacle so early arrival is necessary to ensure a good view. Non-natives should also bear in mind that temple rules requires visitors to cover their bodies from above the shoulders to below the knee and be shoeless when they enter the Hindu temple.