Thaipusam is an annual Hindu festival held in the Tamil month of ‘Thai’ (usually in January or February) to honour Lord Subramaniam (or Lord Murugan), son of Lord Shiva. In Singapore, the Thaipusam procession starts at Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple and ends at Sri Thendayuthapani Temple. The devotees carry ‘kavadis’, a semi-circular steel or wood structure, on their shoulders with hooks, needles, spikes and spears piercing their bodies as a form of self-mortification.
