Thaipusam – Malaysia
In one of the world’s most intense religious festivals, Tamil devotees pierce their bodies with hooks, skewers, and even small spears as an act of devotion. Celebrated predominantly in Malaysia and Singapore, Thaipusam honors Lord Murugan. Devotees often carry large ceremonial structures calledkavadias they walk for miles—some dragging the kavadi using hooks embedded in their skin.
What makes Thaipusam so shocking isn’t just the pain—but the peace. Participants often enter trance-like states, claiming to feel no pain at all. The process is deeply spiritual and meticulously prepared for. While to outsiders it looks horrifying, to those involved, it’s a sacred journey of devotion, discipline, and purification. It’s graphic, intense, and unforgettable.
