Thaipusam festival begins with flag off in Palani temple

Thaipusam festival begins with a flag off at Periyanayaki Amman Temple at Palani on Jan. 29. Thaipusam 2023 will be celebrated on February 5. It is a Hindu festival celebrated by people of the Tamil Community in South India. Thaipusam, also knows as Thaipooyam or Thaipoosam, falls in the Tamil Solar month of Thai, which usually coincides with the Pushya Star, known as Poosam in Tamil. In other Hindu Calendars, the month of Thai corresponds to the month of January or February in the Gregorian Calendar. The festival is a cultural celebration that is marked by Tamilians in India and across the globe. On the day of the Thaipusam festival, devotees worship Lord Kartikeya, also knows as Lord Murugan. This festival mainly falls on the full moon day during the month of Thai, a time when the Pushya Nakshatra is in the sky.