Indian-origin S Africans flock to temples for Easter weekend prayers

Johannesburg: Hundreds of thousands of Indian-origin South Africans flocked to temples catering to the north and south Indian communities for prayers traditionally hosted on Easter weekend each year. Their Muslim counterparts also gathered in their thousands in Johannesburg for the annual Ijtima, a weekend of spiritual activity hosted at this time. The communities take advantage of the opportunity offered by the four-day weekend to allow people to travel to the popular events.

In Durban, more than 250,000 devotees participated in the annual Marieamman prayers at two temples established by the first settlers who arrived by boat from India as indentured sugar cane farm labourers in 1860. The temples are in the suburbs of Isipingo and Mount Edgecombe, once surrounded by sprawling sugar cane plantations where the labourers slaved away from dusk to dawn daily, retiring to some solace at the makeshift temples for brief periods. During the four-day Easter weekend, which includes Good Friday and Easter Monday, the labourers used to celebrate their religion by gathering in large numbers from surrounding districts, as their white employers would take a break for the period.

The tradition has continued ever since, with year-long preparations by organisers at the two temples to receive the tens of thousands of visitors who make the trek from all over South Africa and even from neighbouring states and abroad. "I used to come here as a child with my parents and grandparents, and even though I now live in Australia, my wife and I try to come back at least every second year as it is such a special event in our lives which we are trying to impress on our two children as well," said chartered accountant Subramani Naidoo. "It's also an opportunity to meet many friends and family who come to the prayers," added his wife Sheila.

In the mainly Indian suburb of Lenasia, near Johannesburg, almost 3,000 people gathered to participate in the annual United Hanuman Chalisa, which rotates every Easter Sunday between Gujarati religious organisations in various cities and towns. The groups chant the Hanuman Chalisa non-stop for 12 hours in a carefully co-ordinated exercise. At all these events, the presence of youth from the north and south Indian communities heartened leaders of religious organisations.

"Amid all the Westernisation and fears among religious leaders in recent years about the dwindling number of Hindu youth attending temple services, it was extremely gratifying to note how youth were not only joining in the prayers, but also as volunteers to feed the thousands of people and assist in the massive logistical arrangements," said Kishore Badal, Chairperson of the Hindu Coordinating Council.