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

IGB.... :))
dalam keadaan yg kayak gini masih oedoet juga dia ya.

It was said that the devotee was in a "trance" mode...how come this guy was still smoking...? :))

IGB... hahaha thank you for sharing..
nice candid of the devotee who smoked.. shd've captured a posed portraiture of him... will be a classic

Pesta budaya yg unik nih, serem jg ngeliat tusuk2an yg banyak gitu, tp kenapa banyak pake jeruk nipis ya, atau lemon...ada yg tahu mungkin ada artinya kali?
Thanks buat sharing foto2nya...all great, this kind of adventurous reportage always made me feel flying to the other part of the world, hehehe....:p
Sebastian, your opening picture is absolutely my fave, indirect sight of the people there, reading gestures and situation through shadows....;)

Cakep dan menarik sekali, FGPEnya cakep loh ...... ;))

Hi Stella... thank you for your encouragement Singapore and Malaysia are very blessed with its multi racial societies and allow the citizens to experience the wide spectrum of tradition and culture. Another wonderful place to shoot Thaipusam is the famous Batu Cavesin the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. That said, the Netherlands is a wonderful place that I hope to visit one day with its tulips and canals. And snow!!!

mbak ling-ling
hasilnya cakep-cakep deh ih ;)