Travelling with Thaipusam Celebrations Worldwide

The Story

Thaipusam is a major Hindu festival celebrated by the Tamil community across the world. It’s celebrated on the auspicious full moon day falling in the Tamil month of Thai (January or February). According to the English calendar, the date of the festival this year is January 27. The festival is celebrated to commemorate the victory of Lord Murugan or Subramanium over the demon Soorapadam. Some also say that on this day, Goddess Parvati gave her son Murugan a vel, or a spear to kill the demon. Just like the prelude to the legend varies with time, people and religion, so do the ways of celebrating the festival.

Thaipusam festivities at Batu Caves, Malaysia.

The Celebration

Malaysia

In Kuala Lumpur, the spectacle during Thaipusam is no less than the festivities similar to the Kumbh Mela of Allahabad. More than a million devotees are known to participate in the festival every year. The procession of devotees carrying kavadis, or physical burdens, and dancing their way up to the Batu Caves starts in Kuala Lumpur. Not just people but great crowds of monkeys lace the temple walls as if watching the spectacle and the gates of the  temple. What makes the sight spectacular is not just the crowd but folks carrying iron rods pierced across their cheeks, arms and tongues! Inquire a little further and you will get to know long interesting tales. The kavadis are not saints but citizens whose wishes have been granted or sinners who wish to repent and have chosen to offer kavadis to their lord to thank and appease him. Moreover, it is not a one-time phenomenon. Some of the devotees participate in this ritual for as long as seven years. To catch all the action, you will have wake up early as the procession begins during the wee hours of the morning.

Singapore

Thaipusum celebrations in Singapore start with a chariot procession from Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple in the Little India district and end at the Thandayuthapani Temple. The preparations begin weeks before with the fasting and prayers of the carriers. With relentless chanting of the lord’s name and vibrant decoration of the kavadis, it looks as if physical pain is lost and forgotten. Moreover, the mesmerising dance Kavadi Attam accompanied by Indian drums adds magic to the procession.

Devotees carry kavadis, or physical burdens, to appease the lord.

Tamil Nadu

The place where it all started, Tamil Nadu, is seen bustling with festivity as folks from all around the globe come to be a part of the festival. Devotees completely taken over by the spirit of dedication, visit Palani, which has a huge temple of Murugan or Kartikeya. Even in Tamil Nadu, people can be seen making offerings from milk to kavadiyas. Parents of new borns bring their babies to the temple wrapped in a saffron coloured cloth. From the colours to the flavours, from the customs to the people who follow them so ardently, this festival takes you a step closer to spirituality.

Get to know more about various festivals and seemingly weird customs across the world as you trot the globe with MakeMyTrip’s holiday packages.