Thaipusam

Thaipusam is the most dramatic of all Hindu festivals. Celebrated during the full moon in the Hindu month of Thai, it is a day of fasting, penance and consecration.

The festival is an intense show of faith. The devotees go on a three-kilometer trek with ritualistic act of worship and penance. The main participants in trance, haul or carry beautifully decorated kavadis (containing milk pots). These are literally hooked to their bare bodies. It is a display of belief that transcends pain.

Observed on the 10th Hindu month of Thai, which is a very important month in the Tamil calendar, (usually around the last week of January or the first week of February) Thaipusam is celebrated by Hindu Indians of all classes, and it is a colorful celebration of the birthday of Lord Murugan sometimes known as Lord Subramaniam, one of the paramount Hindu deities and the youngest son of the mighty Shiva, the most awesome God of the Hindu pantheon.

Before the actual day of Thaipusam, devotees participating in Thaipusam must prepare themselves by observing a strictly regimented schedule of fasting, dieting and self-discipline in order to purify themselves so that they may go into a trance-like state and transcend pain when carrying out the rituals on the day itself.

Some devotees will start fasting a month or two before Thaipusam. They will follow strictly a vegetarian diet and some even sleep on the hard floor for months preparing themselves for the day.

To fulfill vows made to Lord Subramaniam, these devotees have their tongues and cheeks skewered with long silver needles and metal hooks pierced to their chest and backs. The most extreme form of devotion is the carrying of the spectacular Kavadi for the deity. In Singapore, Thaipusam is a three-day festival. It is jointly organized by the Hindu Endowments Board and Thandayuthapani temple at Tank Road, which is managed by the Chettiars.

Visitors are able to watch the spectacular Thaipusam procession up close and discover more about this remarkable festival.