Celebrating Thaipusam: A Guide to Its Rituals and Meaning

With its colourful processions and skin-piercing rituals, attending a Thaipusam celebration is one of the most unique cultural travel experiences imaginable. This Tamil Hindu festival is held each year in honour of Lord Murugan, the god of war, victory, and wisdom. It's a period of devotion, and spiritual discipline.

While Thaipusam celebrations can be witnessed in cities across South India, Malaysia, and Singapore, the procession in Kuala Lumpur is the most well-known. Crowds gather to witness barefoot devotees carry symbolic jugs of milk and other kavadi (ceremonial burdens) to the famous shrines inside Batu Caves.

Whether you go to the festival in Kuala Lumpur or somewhere else, experiencing Thaipusam is both intense and inspiring. It's a true bucket-list experience that you'll never forget.

If you're interested in attending Thaipusam, this guide has got you covered with everything you need to know - from the best places to celebrate to what to expect and how to participate respectfully.

Thaipusam is a major Tamil Hindu celebration held in honour of Lord Murugan. The festival occurs on the day Lord Murugan's mother, Parvati, gave him the vel (divine spear) he would later use to defeat the demon Surapadman.

Based on this legend, Thaipusam is a deeply spiritual festival, representing the victory of good over evil, a deep penance and devotion towards Lord Murugan, a cleansing of the body and the mind, and an extraordinary level of physical and spiritual endurance.

The date of Thaipusam always coincides with the full moon of the Tamil month of Thai. While the date is different each year, it typically takes place between mid-January and mid-February according to the Gregorian calendar.

In Malaysian cities like Kuala Lumpur and Penang, processions usually begin the night before Thaipusam and extend well into the morning. However, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where Thaipusam originated, the celebrations can last up to 10 days.

Here is a breakdown of when Thaipusam will occur in the coming years:

• 2026: Sunday 1 February
• 2027: Friday 22 January
• 2028: Wednesday 9 February
• 2029: Tuesday 30 January
• 2030: Sunday 20 January

Devotees often commemorate the Thaipusam holiday by praying, abstaining from certain foods and behaviours, fulfilling vows, giving thanks to Lord Murugan, and getting blessings at temples.

However, in places like Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Palani, the celebrations can be more elaborate and spiritual. Here are a few of the rituals and customs that you can expect to see at these major Thaipusam festivals:

• Viratham: Devotees will often live an ascetic lifestyle by eating a vegetarian diet or fasting, and abstaining from certain behaviours - all in an effort to honour Lord Murugan and purify the mind, body, and soul.
• Foot processions: Devotees will walk barefoot for long distances, often 15 kilometres or more, to reach a Murugan temple.
• Kavadi attam: During this 'burden dance', devotees carry a ceremonial burden in the form of a kavadi.
• Kavadi: Kavadi translates to 'burden' or 'sacrifice at every step'. Some common forms of these ceremonial burdens are containers of milk (paal kavadi), using needles, hooks, and vel (spears) to pierce the skin, and even enduring a Vel kavadi, an elaborate and heavy frame that is attached to the skin by spears, spikes, or hooks.
• Trance-like state: Devotees who pierce their skin often say they enter a meditative state and don't feel any pain.
• Paal kuda: These jugs of milk symbolise the purification of the mind and soul. Devotees often carry them on their head or shoulders and pour the milk on statues of Lord Murugan as an offering.
• Head shaving: This is a common act representing a devotee's devotion, humility, and renewal.
• Music and chanting: Processions are accompanied by music, drums, Murugan hymns, and victorious chants of “Vel, Vel, Vetri Vel.”
• Community: There is a strong sense of community during Thaipusam, with family, friends, and even total strangers supporting the devotees and onlookers by offering free vegetarian meals and drinks.

Thaipusam festivals and processions take place in cities across South India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Singapore each year. However, you'll find Thaipusam celebrations all over the world, from the US to Fiji and the UK.

If you'd like to experience Thaipusam for yourself, here is a breakdown of the world's most famous celebrations:

Thaipusam is a major public holiday in Malaysia, with processions taking place in cities across the country. However, the biggest Thaipusam celebration in the world is in Kuala Lumpur, attracting nearly two million people each year.

The famous Silver Chariot procession - which features a statue of Lord Murugan - starts at Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Chinatown and culminates at the Batu Caves, the site of an important Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Murugan. The journey spans 15 kilometres and can take up to eight hours.

Once they reach the entrance to the Batu Caves, devotees walk past a towering statue of Lord Murugan as they ascend 272 colourfully painted steps to reach the main shrine of Lord Murugan. Here, they will give offerings, receive blessings, and release their ceremonial burdens.

Penang is another popular spot to witness Thaipusam in Malaysia. The procession starts at the historic Sri Mahamariamman Temple in Georgetown's Little India and ends with a 500-step trek up to the Arulmigu Sri Balathandayuthapani Waterfall Hilltop Temple. Similar to Kuala Lumpur's procession, you can expect to see a Silver Chariot procession and witness participants carrying milk jugs and other kavadi.

While Thaipusam is not technically a public holiday in Singapore, the celebration here attracts tens of thousands of people. In true Singapore fashion, the festival is highly organised. The procession always begins at the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple and continues for four kilometres, ending at Sri Thendayuthapani Temple on Tank Road. Along the way, there are live performers playing traditional music and singing Murugan hymns.

Thaipusam originated in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, making this a deeply spiritual and non-touristy place to be during this holiday. Here, Thaipusam is typically a multi-day affair culminating with a massive pilgrimage to one of the many Murugan temples. While there are many significant temples in Tamil Nadu, Palani Murugan Temple in Palani is the most famous.

Travelling barefoot and carrying a range of kavadi, local devotees can walk distances of up to 15 kilometres to reach Palani Murugan Temple. However, those coming from further afield can walk for days to reach the sacred site. Located up a steep hill, the most devoted pilgrims will complete their trip by ascending nearly 700 stone steps to reach Palani Murugan Temple - a true test of endurance, devotion, and faith.

The date of Thaipusam in 2026 is Sunday 1 February. However, celebrations begin the night before. The date changes each year, taking place on the day of the full moon of the Tamil month of Thai. This usually falls between mid-January and mid-February.

No, Thaipusam is not a public holiday in Singapore. It was removed as an official public holiday in 1968. However, Thaipusam is still observed by many Tamil Hindus in Singapore, who participate in the four-kilometre procession from Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple to Sri Thendayuthapani Temple.

The best places to celebrate Thaipusam are Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple and Sri Thendayuthapani Temple in Singapore; and Palani Murugan Temple in Palani, India. All of these locations will have processions filled with devotees carrying ceremonial burdens known as kavadi.

Travellers can respectfully engage with the traditions and rituals of Thaipusam by wearing modest clothing, refraining from taking intrusive photographs of devotees, observing from a respectful distance, and never interfering with the procession.

It's important to dress modestly. Women should wear loose-fitting clothing that covers the shoulders, chest, and knees, while men should opt for a t-shirt and long trousers.