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Witness a moving Hindu tradition this Thaipusam 2025
The first months of the year are always busy in Singapore; many festivals happen consecutively. One festival that you need to look out for is Thaipusam, which will be held on February 11, 2025.
Thaipusam celebrates the life and achievements of Lord Murugan (also known as Lord Subrahmanya), who is the god of virtue, youth, and power. For Hindu Tamils, this festival is also the time for penance, sacrifice, and thanksgiving.
Thaipusam used to be a public holiday in Singapore, but it isn’t anymore. That said, devotees still honour and celebrate it, and even non-Hindus like me are welcome to participate.
Kavadi Aattam: Thaipusam’s Main Event
From: foodandwalktv
Different Hindus celebrate Thaipusam in their own way, but everyone agrees that Kavadi Aattam, or simply Kavadi, is the festival’s main event. Kavadi is a ceremonial act of sacrifice in which devotees go on a procession while balancing some kavadi (a physical burden) on their shoulders.
Usually, the burden is something heavy like a semicircular piece of wood or steel with a cross structure carrying milk offerings. It can also be a Vel kavadi, a portable altar that weighs up to 30 kg!
Whatever the physical burden they choose, it’s attached to the devotee’s body through multiple skewers and metal hooks that are pierced into the skin. Taking their sacrifice further, they also pierce their tongue and/or cheeks and whip their flesh!
Meanwhile, other devotees, usually women, carry offerings. These can be pots of cow milk (paalkudam), but things like sugar cane and coconuts also work.
There will also be musicians singing bhajan (devotional hymns). This is because devotees believe that music helps reduce pain and improve their spiritual focus.
Kavadi Aattam is sacred to Hindus, which is why they keep themselves clean leading up to it. To do this, they have to stick to a vegetarian diet, fast, and remain celibate for at least a month before the festival.
What to Expect During Thaipusam 2025
Thaipusam celebrations officially kick off at 11:30 pm on February 10, and they start with a procession of the deity Lord Murugan from Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple (SSPT) at Serangoon Road to Sri Thendayuthapani Temple (STT) at Tank Road.
By the time midnight strikes, prayers will begin at STT. It’s also during this time when devotees shave their heads and take a ritual bath to purify themselves.
On Thaipusam day (February 11), the procession for Kavadi devotees from SSPT begins at noon. For paalkudam devotees, the procession will start at 5 pm.
By 11 pm on February 11, all devotees should be at STT.
Important Notice for Non-Devotees
Even if you’re not a devotee, you’re still welcome to watch the Kavadi procession. I recommend stationing yourself along the 4 km route from SSPT to STT. You can also just head straight to Little India and position yourself along Serangoon Road.
Additionally, I recommend that you come to your preferred location as early as possible, preferably in the morning. This is to ensure that you’ll get the best spot and that you can watch the traditional temple musicians, who will perform as early as 7 am.
Last but not least, I’d like to remind non-devotees to be respectful. It’s amazing that we get the chance to watch this wonderful festival, but this event is spiritual for the Hindus. So, please avoid making disruptive noises, and if you want to take photos, do so from a distance.