Whether it's the traditional Christian practice of donning hair shirts and cat o'nine tail whippings or Shiite Islam's practice of self-flagellation during the festival of Ashura, many religions require pain from their followers. During Thaipusam, Hindu followers pierce their bodies to devote themselves to their gods. It's a holiday celebrated in India, Mauritius, Singapore, and Malaysia by Tamils, an ethnic group that originated in Tamil Nadu, a state in the south of India.
During the holiday, devotees pray and make vows, and when their prayers are answered, they fulfill the vows by piercing parts of their body, including their cheeks, tongues, and backs. Once pierced, worshippers then carry a heavy totem called a kavadi, often by attaching strings to their new piercings, along a 2.5 mile route. Thaipusam occurs on the full moon of the Tamil month of Thai, which usually falls during the month of February. Above, a devotee has his body pierced with hooks on Feb. 7 in Singapore.
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