Extreme Thaipusam festival - PHOTO+VIDEO

But there’s one thing which sets this particular celebration apart from the others – most of the people participating are heavily pierced.The attendants are devout Hindus and they are all prepared to undergo physical austerity practices as a sign of devotion to the Hindu god of war, Lord Murugan.They take part in public processions, carrying pots or brass jugs of milk on their head, piercing their cheeks, doing prostrations or performing the kavadi dance whilst carrying a yoke – essentially a portable altar – on their shoulders.Some of the dancers have been pierced with hooks on their backs and have a spear pricked through their cheeks.The festival is also celebrated in countries outside of India and is known as Thaipusam in Southeast Asia.It has a more extreme side which is evident in countries like Malaysia and Singapore where it’s not just cheeks which are pierced. There the entire body is punctured with tiny hooks that hold up the highly-embellished yokes, usually decorated with peacock feathers and weighing up to 66lbs.Devotees claim to experience no pain and it is said that they enter a trance-like state that elevates them from physical discomfort. And despite the gaping holes, they do not bleed from their piercings and have wounds that heal perfectly, leaving no scars.Thaipusam is celebrated mostly by Tamil Hindus to commemorate the occasion when Lord Murugan’s mother, the goddess Parvati gave him a vel (or spear) so that he could vanquish an evil demon.   (dailymail.co.uk)Bakudaily.Az