Write about the Hindu festival of Thaipusam.

Thaipusam

The Hindu festival of Thaipusam takes place in Singapore, and throughout the world, sometime between the 14th of January and the 13th of February. ‘Thai’ in Tamil, means the month of Thai and ‘pusam’ means festival. Hence Thaipusam actually means the festival of the month of Thai. It is a religious festival and celebrated by the Hindus as a means of doing penance. It is a grand festival and practically all Hindus will visit the temple on the day.

People who are doing penance on the day carry various forms of ‘kavadis’ or tributes to the god, Murugan, at Thandayuthapani temple at Tank Road. There are several types of kavadis. The basic item in a kavadi is one or two pots of milk. The kavadi may consist of simple decorations or even as simple as a pot of milk, which the devotee is to carry from the Sreenivasa Perumal Temple in Serangoon Road to the temple at Tank Road. The more elaborate kavadis comprise a massive harness with a hundred over spikes or hooks. The spikes or hooks are hooked on to the flesh of the devotee as he carries the kavadi.

Preparations for the festival is carried out by devotees for one month. They remain separate from the family, perhaps in the prayer room. They abstain from eating meat and do not indulge in any pleasure such as watching television or movies. They pray every day for strength for their coming ordeal.

On Thaipusam the devotee gathers his friends and relatives at the temple to support him. He is thrown into a trance and the skewers or hooks are fastened on to him, together with the heavy kavadi. There is even a skewer through his cheeks and tongue. Amazingly enough, he feels no pain and does not bleed. After the kavadi is fitted on, he walks to the temple in Tank Road, with all his supporters. To give the devotee strength, they chant all the way. When the temple is reached, the milk is handed over to the priests and the devotee goes behind the temple. The kavadi is now unharnessed and all the spikes are removed. The devotee rests for a while and then goes home, none the worse for his amazing experience.

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