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Before the entire procession, devotees would gather and commence prayers, preparing milk pots at the same time.
Women placing pots of milk, also known as Palkuddam, on their heads as a show of devotion and love to god.
Piercing of skewers are thought to temporarily renounced the gift of speech so that the devotee may concentrate more fully upon the deity, who will then in turn, shield the devotee from shedding blood or suffer pain.
Before the entire procession, devotees would gather and commence prayers, preparing milk pots at the same time.
Thaipusam
2016 was the first time I had shockingly witnessed men piercing themselves with needles and having undergone ‘possession’, requiring at least 3 men to restrain the devotee. It was the first time I had went to check out Thaipusam. I went into the temple with no clue of what to expect, and was immediately overwhelmed by a pungent smell and the repetitive chants that put you into a trance-like state. Peering into a crowd that had gathered near the entrance, I struggled to see what was going on. Sensing my presence, a devotee suddenly put his hand over my shoulder and demanded the others in the group to move aside to make way for me to squeeze in and that was where I was fortunate enough to witness the process up close and personal.
At the start, devotees will gather to perform a ritual whereby they will pray and pour milk into pots. Devotees will then carry these palkuddam on their heads and proceed to the next segment of getting into a trance like state. Women do not have to participate in the self sacrifice and can immediately offer their blessings to Lord Murugan. The men, however, get into trances stimulated by the Sanskrit prayers chanted by other devotees and a pujari (temple priest), together with the burning incense in the air. This will help to alleviate the pain caused by the next portion, where silver pins are pierced through the cheek and tongue and the body are pricked with hooks and spear-like needles. Subsequently, devotees will then carry the Kavadi to ask for forgiveness, keep a vow or offer thanks to Lord Subramaniam. The basic Kavadi consists of a short wooden pole surmounted by a wooden arch, decorated with peacock feathers (symbolic of Murugan, as the peacock is his mascot), margosa leaves and other materials. Even though a kavadi carrier can have as many as 100 spears piercing his flesh, he loses little blood and suffers minimal pain, sustained by faith in a trancelike state.