Other devotees carry spiked kavadis that require elaborate preparation. The chief attractions of this festival are the colourful 'kavadis' and live traditional music. I have never heard of Thaipusam before. Most were barefoot.

Sue-Thanks for commenting. 6 Little-known facts about Pongal in Singapore! This was one of the largest kavadi that we saw.

The Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, at which devotees start the route for Thaipusam, had prepared two thermal scanners at the gates.

Sapna, Thanks for your comment. We opted to go at 10 am to avoid the crowds on the route and at Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple. We can discuss this more over email: sue@travelforlifenow.com. Celebrated during the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (January/February), which is January 21 this year, it's a time to ask Lord Murugan, son of Lord Shiva, for forgiveness, good health and peace in the new year. Once they entered, Temple, they twirled and shouted and chanted as they passed by Lord Murugan. How much do we know about this colourful Hindu festival, apart from the fact that it literally brings traffic to a standstill? And, the openness with which they allowed people like Reggie and me into the Temple at the beginning and end was surprising. It is from Tamil-speaking Hindu communities that Thaipusam originated. On the surface, the Hindu festival of Thaipusam might seem like any other thanksgiving or new year event. In Singapore, the ceremony starts in the early morning. Celebration date varies from year to year depending on Tamil calendar, it is held on the full moon of the Thai month, that is either in mid-January or early February. It’s so fascinating! We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. They were clearly exhausted, and it was time for us to leave. Kavadis and milk bearers were continually entering. Incredibly moving account of a fascinating event – I find myself feeling humbled and in awe of the raw courage and enormous faith displayed in this ceremonial ritual. Admittedly, I was a little obsessed even though I knew very little about the occasion. Newton comes out, We enjoyed watching the resident swan family havin, Pros of @Covid-19? Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Devotees that plan to carry a kavadi must purify themselves physically and spiritually by praying continuously, fasting or eating only once a day (vegetarian meals) and abstaining from sex. And, the men that carried the kavadis were surrounded by a team from start to finish. Others walked the route in sandals with a bed of nails. Kavadis vary greatly in their size and format. The Singapore Thaipusam that I observed was a serious and meaningful spiritual ceremony. It … For the days leading up to Thaipusam, kavadi bearers eat once a day, take a vow of celibacy, refrain from smoking … It can be as heavy as 40 kg and reach a height of 4 m! For visitors hoping to witness the festivities, the pilgrimage varies slightly from place to place. So I was told. jenn-Thanks for reading. The first preparations start before midnight and processions start just after midnight.

Learn how your comment data is processed. Protest art in Soho NYC. What I saw instead was the modest beginning of Thai Pusam’s 24-hour procession, with men and women carrying pots on their heads striding forward in the dark . A nearly impenetrable mass of people surrounded the Sri Thendayuthapani temple where people were completing their journeys and disassembling their kavadis at a designated area outside. Thank you, sincerely, from my heart. I’ve been in Tamil before but I have never seen this festival. Thanks a lot for sharing your extraordinary experience and bringing me with you there. Kind regards

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:). Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. In Singapore the route is four kilometers from Sri Srinivasa temple in Little India to Sri Thendayuthapani temple near River Valley Road. The most iconic part of this festival is the kavadi itself. We arrived around 10 am when it was less crowded.

I saw a program on Discovery channel 2 years ago and to be honest it made me anxious & nervous seeing all these piercing. Thaipusam is really interesting. Leigh-Thanks.

Thaipusam is a thanksgiving of sorts for devotees to celebrate the fulfilment of their vows and show their gratitude towards Lord Murugan for granting them favours. My husband was originally raised as Hindu and was born in Singapore, so I had to go ask him about this event.

Thaipusam Observances. Enter your email address to follow Compass & Camera and receive notifications of new posts by email. The elaborate vel and chariot kavadis of Thaipusam were beginning to emerge from the Sri Srinivasa Perumal temple and move slowly down the street. "The word Thaipusam is a combination of the name of the month, Thai, and the name of a star, Pusam," explains Singapore's official.

I would love to hear more about your personal experience with Thai Pusam. In addition, there is a significant Hindu and Indian expat community in Singapore. In 2015, the religious make-up of Singapore was: Hindus in Singapore date back to the 7th century.

Hinduism takes many forms of worship across India and the world. Thank you so much for your revealing, heartfelt, and warm entry on Thai Pusam. One of the things he did was to get up in the dead of night and take a taxi ( no MRT in those days) and take images of the devotees being prepped and then, at the other end, their limes, prongs and hooks being removed. We had a similar thing happen in Singapore. They began by praying and giving offerings. The bearer also observes celibacy and consumes a single meal of pure Satvik food (essentially vegetarian foods that aren’t pungent) just once a day, beginning 48 hours before Thaipusam begins, to cleanse the mind and physical state. Devotees believe their sins can be cleansed through such acts, while also reaffirming their Hindu faith. Thanks. Warning: the following post contains images that some people might find disturbing. Experiencing Thaipusam is a rare and special opportunity – one to seize if the time and location present themselves. Its highlight is a barefoot walk of devotees carrying milk pots and dancing with prickly kavadis decorated with flowers and peacock feathers, that weigh up to 80 kg. Sending you much happiness and thanks! It is a deeply spiritual decision.

Kavadi Bearer getting ready to leave Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple. It has bars for support on the shoulders and is decorated with flowers and peacock feathers. Friends and relatives begin building the structure by anchoring it to his body, either with a belt or by use of steel posts inserted through the skin at four points around his waist. This festival is all about the triumph of mind over matter! Women and men carry milk pots (palkuddan) on their heads as an offering to Lord Murugan. Where on earth did all of this begin? There were many tourists in the Temple. Reading your post brought back all those memories… and filled in all the gaps about all the things I never understood, despite being a Hindu! I am really glad that I went. You can go early in the morning as the procession starts in the middle of the night. 'My Wife Went Through 33 Hours of Labour to Deliver My Stillborn Baby', © Copyright theAsianparent 2020.

What I’ve learned since Saturday are some important aspects of Thaipusam that answer some of the questions looming in my mind and my photos. I especially liked reading through it because even though I’m a Hindu, there is much I didn’t know about any of this!

Thaipusam is not a public holiday. I am sure it is a different experience seeing everything in real. I’m very happy to hear how welcoming everyone was in these surroundings (though I expected that), particularly because you were reaching outside your comfort zone to learn something new. One can probably write a book on this topic but you have very effectively condensed everything about Thai Pusam to a blog entry. I started by venturing to Little India on Saturday afternoon, expecting to find a frenzy of Thaipusam preparation.

Aimee-Thanks. The procession of kavadi bearers begins at the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple at Serangoon Road and ends at the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple at Tank Road. It was very much a privilege to be able to see this. It has piqued my curiosity for sure, and I see many Hindu temples in my future. The name Pusam describes this image as “nourisher”, so milk is poured, carried in metal pots and offered throughout the events of Thaipusam. Why milk? The date is determined by the Hindu lunar calendar, so varies year to year. Having seen so many astonishing things in one day, I decided to save the end for another year and went home. After prayers and just past midnight, the first groups with milk pots leave for Thendayuthapani Temple. My pleasure entirely. The tongue piercings were hard to watch. Wow – interesting!

Devotees carry the elaborately decorated kavadi as a form of ceremonial sacrifice in worship of Lord Murugan (also known as Lord Subramaniam) as he represents the eradication of evil.

Most were barefoot. Some pierce their tongues with skewers and carry a wooden kavadi decorated with flowers and peacock feathers balanced on their shoulders. In the evening, Lord Murugan returns to Thendayuthapani Temple. On Thaipusam they dress in shades of orange and yellow and are marked on their skin with holy ash.

They follow a strict vegetarian diet.

I missed an opportunity to photograph a similar event here – i live in the capital of Tamilnadu after all – last Sunday! What struck me about Thaipusam Singapore was the preparation, teamwork and community. Totally agree!

In addition to India and Sri Lanka, other countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar have large Tamil-speaking populations who annually observe Thaipusam.

I wanted to make sure I was sharing the festival in a respectful way, not as a voyeur. The word 'Kavadi' means ‘sacrifice at every step’ in Tamil. Thank you! Preparations start months ahead, maybe even a lifetime ahead of the day. We didn’t see any women carrying kavadi, though we saw some with their tongues and cheeks pierced. The Temple was crowded and noisy and exciting. Celebrations take place in Tamil communities in. We walked the 4.5 KM route. Its most distinctive feature is the large decorated kavadi carried by many participants, with the incorporation of skin piercings. Some have spikes that pierce into the body. Milk symbolizes​ abundance and fertility, whereas thorny kavadis, literally translated as "sacrifice at every step", contributes to the month-long vegetarian trial, as the devotees follow the conviction that mind and body should be free of any extra pleasures, but rather undergo sufferings in order to get rid of the evil and rebirth into the good. Later Sunday morning (7:00 a.m.) I went to Serangoon road expecting to watch the same type of procession from the roadside barriers, but things had started to change. We watch many of the men preparing to carry the kavadi. It’s so humbling and invigorating to feel like such a beginner, such a student of an entire region of the world.

Sue. The praying is supposed to put them into a trance so they do not feel pain. Sinjana-Thanks. Thanks Mothership!! I love the religious diversity there and it’s so important to remember and remain open minded.

In Singapore, you can observe the festivities the night before. What an enlightening post.