Thaipusam, India, Malaysia, Singapore

Thaipusam is a Hindu carnival detained yearly in January/February in India, Singapore and Malaysia. It is celebrated typically by Tamil people and celebrates the birth of Murugan, the son of gods Shiva and Parvati. For the festivity, revelers trim their heads and execute a pilgrimage, and it spirals downwards from there. At the end of the rituals, participants shove pointed skewers through their tongues or cheeks and some put hooks on their back to pull serious substance. The aspire of the revels is to bear as much pain as possible, and those who endure the most are said to be given the most blessings.

(more…)