Thaipusam is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil communities on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (Jan/Feb). Pusam refers to a star that is at its highest point during the festival. The festival commemorates both the birthday of Lord Murugan (also Subramaniam), the youngest son of Shiva and Parvati, and the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a vel (lance) so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadam. To many Thaipusam is the day of thanksgiving or atonement for wrongs. Spectacular edifices or kavadis are often carried or pulled by the devotees with chains and ropes anchored in the skin of their backs or chests.Others shave their heads bald as a symbol of humility and atonement. Many observe a strict vegetarian diet for about 40 days and renounce all forms of comfort and pleasure-giving activities. The 40 days are spent in meditation and prayer. Click here for the complete gallery

Followers of the faith are not restricted to just Tamils as there are Chinese devotees as well.

Devotees are expected to walk barefoot from the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple at Serangoon Road to the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple at Tank Road. The journey could take up to four hours depending on traffic conditions.

whoa!! so you're there also??
Im also hunt for some photos in little india about 3-8pm...
can i also put my photos in this thread? ^___^

sure Wellington.. by all means... any photographer(s) who was in the area... just share their photos... I am sure we all captured different perspectives and could learn from each other. cheers

thx Sebastian ^_____^
Ok, in this event... im focusing all the photos more in the portrait of the devotees ... somehow the devotee "trance" expression and their "ascessories" in their face are very interesting for me...

they using some kind of piercing that pierce their cheek and their lips... and sometimes... needles in their forehead..

more...

and more..

they said, all the devotees are in "trance" stance... so they can't fell the pain... and all the wound will be gone after the event...

and even more...

when i have eye contact with their eyes... somehow it make me terrified -_-;

the thing that they're carried in their shoulder is more than 10kgs...

He is the youngest devotee i've seen in that day...

and of course... one of the most important thing... the beautiful spectator ^_________^
And the fellow hunting mates!! Kang Aing dan Mbak Mel dan keluarga, Danie and IGB ^__^ + darwid yang gak sempet ketemu hiihi

thanks pak bwat liputannya...

ngeri ui ngeliatnya... :-SS

Hi Sebastian.. I would like to share some photos that I took yesterday. Thanks for the initiative to make the thread,

No. 1. Body Closeup

No. 2. Nyuci kaki.
Beberapa Devotees yg tidak ikut secara langsung membuka stand Pencucian Kaki peserta. ( sorry, Aku nggak tau istilahnya).
Jadi setiap kali peserta lewat didepan pos mereka, mereka akan mencuci kaki peserta dan kemudian peserta akan memberikan sesuatu seperti bedak ke pencuci kaki.
Katanya.. ini dimaksudkan untuk mendapatkan berkah dari Dewa.

No. 3. Peserta Laki-laki

No. 4. Peserta laki-laki pengiring.

No. 5. Peserta Perempuan.

No. 6. Pererta Bayi.

No. 7. Penonton Perempuan... hehehehe

Sebastian,
pls allow me to share some photos.

Peserta kembarannya kang Aing:-"
oedoet terusss...

fotografer pilihan editor....