It may be just another public holiday to most people, but to thousands of Hindus who celebrate Thaipusam, it certainly means a whole lot more.
To those who do not have an inkling of what Thaipusam is, it is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community on the full moon (and it certainly is a full moon tonite! i was just outside admiring the beaming round moon!) in the Tamil month of Thai (Jan/Feb). Pusam refers to a star that is at its highest point during the festival. The festival commemorates both the birthday of Lord Murugan (also Subramaniam), the youngest son of Shiva and Parvati, and the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a vel (lance) so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman.
As always, here’s one of the greatest things of being Malaysian. The world’s culture is right at your doorstep. To all those celebrating Thaipusam, hope you had a fulfilling one!