Thaipusam festival, Feb 08
Once every year, you will see men clad only in a cloth covering their groin area, walking the streets at Keong Saik and Serangoon Roads, carrying a metal structure on their shoulders with spikes poking their upper body and face.
This seemingly painful ritual is part of the Hindu thanksgiving held in honour of Lord Subrahmanya/Murugan, the deity who is the destroyer of evil and who represents virtue, youth and power.
Devotees carry the kavadi (said metal structure) for a host reasons: as penance, thanksgiving for graces granted, or just as a display of faith. Weeks before undertaking this procession, devotees will abstain from many of life's luxuries and consume only a vegetarian diet. During the procession, the kavadi carriers are accompanied by family members, friends and supporters who beat on drums and chant scriptures to boost the morale of the devotees.
This celebration happens on the full moon in the Hindu calendar month of Thai, which falls on February 8 this year. The procession begins at Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple on Serangoon Road, ending at the Sri Layan Sithi Vinayagar Temple on Keong Siak Road.
For more information about times, please refer to the website of the Hindu Endowments Board Singapore.
Getting to Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple: Take the MRT to Farrer Park station, walk to Serangoon Road then follow the flow of traffic to the temple.
