The festival 'Thaipusam' is celebrated by the Tamil people on the occasion of Full-moon in the Tamil month, Thai, i.e. January or February, in commemorates of Lord Subramaniam.  He is also known as Lord Murugan, who represents virtue, youth, and power and is the destroyer of evil. The festivities are mainly notable in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, India, Singapore and few other countries where a huge count of Tamil people reside. In this year, thousands of Hindu devotees in  Singapore started Thaipusam procession, walking from Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Serangoon Road to Sri Thendayuthapani Temple in Tank Road. This year for the first time the Hindu temples will close before the Lunar Eclipse.

Thaipusam History:

Lord Shiva and Parvati gave Lord Murugan a task of destroying the meddlesome demon Soorapadam, who troubled the saints a lot. Following the mission, Murugan took eleven weapons in his arsenal that his father Lord Shiva gave him and as well as ‘The Vel’, that was given to him by his mother Parvati. Using these weapons and his intelligence, he defeated the demon on the day of Poosam Nakshatra in the Tamil month of Thai. 

Thaipusam Festivities & Customs:

In Malaysia and Singapore, this occasion is granted as a national holiday. Many devotees as well as a wide number of tourists visit the temple and worship the Lord. Many times it has been witnessed that devotees fall into a sort of trance. In an act of penance to Lord Murugan (the Hindu god of War) devotees pierce their faces with tridents and rods or hung multiple hooks and chains. Devotees seek blessings and fulfill their vows by carrying milk pots as offerings and also carry a heavy semi-circular piece of wood and balance it on the shoulders. This bearer act is known as Kavadi Attam.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 31, 2018 05:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).