A great initiative by the temple committee!

In honor of Penang’s annual floating chariot festival (Theppa Thiruvizha). The temple committee members held a unique yet very creative celebration by embracing eco – friendly themes by utilising banana tree branches and betel nut barks replacing polystyrene materials in the floats before it’s been pushed to the sea.

The event which has taken place at the Singamugha Kaliamman Temple, in Teluk Bahang has garnered the attention of Malaysian netizens.

“As a tradition, people have been sending out those adorned lights and flowers to the sea. In order to keep the lamps and flowers from falling, they were placed on polystyrene material. These materials are non-biodegradable, and they contaminate the sea, reported The Star. “

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) education officer N.V. Subbarow has stated that the devotees were urged not to use synthetic foam materials for the celebrations.

During Theppa Thiruvizha, CAP was among one of the organisations which promoted the consumption of eco – friendly products. The rest of two organisations were Penang Green Council (PGC) and Malaysia Hindu Sangam Bukit Bendera Council.

The tradition is not new for the temple. Three decades ago, polystyrene materials were introduced as the lamps were placed on banana tree branches and betel nut tree barks. This time around they have distributed 200 banana tree stems and 200 pieces of betel nut tree bark.