103275 It is often decorated with flowers, palm leaves and peacock feathers.
103276 The milk they have been carrying is then offered to Lord Subrahmanya at the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple.
103277 Some devotees also pierce their tongues with skewers and carry a garlanded wooden arch across their shoulders.
103278 Devotees carrying spiked Kavadis, which require elaborate preparations, leave the temple in the later part of the morning and continue till night.
103279 The festival is not just an exclusively Indian affair; several Chinese devotees and people of other races also come to fulfill their vows on this day.
103280 The festival is a visual spectacle and it often brings traffic in the city centre to a standstill, with a colourful procession full of chanting and dizzying rhythms of Indian drums.
103281 In preparation for carrying a Kavadi, a devotee has to prepare himself spiritually.
103282 For a period of about a month, the devotee must live a life of abstinence whilst maintaining a strict vegetarian diet.
103283 It is believed that only when the mind is free of material wants and the body free from physical pleasures that a devotee can undertake the sacred task without feeling any pain.
103284 The devotees are normally accompanied by friends and family members who cheer and offer support, usually in the form of prayers and chants.
103285 Witness the sacred ritual of Thaipusam when in Singapore, a true act of faith.