Thaipusam is a major Hindu festival that is particularly observed in Malaysia and attracts hundreds of thousands of devotees and tourists each year. It is a vibrant, dramatic spectacle celebrated in honor of the deity Lord Murugan – the Hindu god of war, virtue and youth, the son of Parvati and Shiva. The festival is an opportunity for devotees to express their devotion, gratitude and atonement; they prepare by fasting and praying up to 48 days prior.
The celebrations center around the Batu Caves temple, one of Malaysia's most popular Hindu shrines located just north of Kuala Lumpur. Devotees carry large metal or wooden structures, known as 'kavadi' on a pilgrimage. The most dramatic kavadis are heavy, adorned with peacock feathers and attached to the devotee by 108 vels (lances) inserted into the skin. Other participants carry pots of milk on their heads which they believe will be blessed by the deity.
Despite the sizeable Indian community that celebrates the festival, it is officially recognized as a public holiday only in the states of Johor (JH), Kedah (KD), Penang (PG), Sabah (SB), Selangor (SG), and Sarawak (SW). In these states, public services and schools are closed, while elsewhere in Malaysia, it is a working day. However, people from other states often travel to take part in the celebrations, making Thaipusam an important national event regardless of the official public holiday status.