Thaipusam Celebration 2020


Thaipusam is an annual religious festival celebrated worldwide in Tamil Hindu societies. It occurs on the day of the full moon during the Tamil month of Thai when the star Pusam is at its highest point. During the celebration, Hindu families make a pilgrimage to temples to offer Lord Murugan - the god of war and a son of Shiva - gifts as a thanksgiving for health and well-being. Additionally, they hope to trade with him to erase the negative traits of the character and other signs of physical weakness from their family tree. Personal sacrifices, expressed by wearing various piercings or hooks during the pilgrimage, are commonly recognized by the devotees as a special kind of gift offered Lord Murugan. With series of photographs I aimed to capture the essence of Thaipusam 2020 in its details, such as traditional, colorful attires worn by women - as well as young girls - to highlight the dignity of a celebration, despite extremely demanding and physically exhausting nature of pilgrimage. Shots were taken on a way to Penang Waterfall Hill Temple, Malaysia, February 2020.


Size: 2611px × 4177px
Photo credit: © Patrycja Sorensen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

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