Sūra Samhāram is the sixth and climactic day of Skanda Ṣaṣṭī, when Murugan's victory over the asura Sūrapadman is re-enacted at dusk. It is most famous on the seashore at Tiruchendur, where the Kanda Purāṇa places the battle. In the story Sūrapadman hides in the sea as a mango tree, and Murugan's Vel splits it into the peacock that becomes his mount and the rooster that rides his banner, a mercy that turns even the enemy into a servant. For those who have kept the six-day vrata, this evening also brings the fast to its close. How the day is fixed: Sūra Samhāram is the Śukla Ṣaṣṭī that closes the six-day Skanda Ṣaṣṭī vrata, taken at local sunrise. In the lunar calendar this is Kārttika Śukla Ṣaṣṭī, which usually falls in the Tamil solar month of Aippasi. Keep in mind: The Tamil calendar names the month Aippasi while lunar calendars call it Kārttika, but the Ṣaṣṭī is the same. Because it is read at local sunrise, the day can differ by one between places. This year: The 2027 date shown here is worked out from sunrise at the place you chose, so in another city the same day can fall a day earlier or later. The victory at dusk: The Kanda Purāṇa's climax is staged in the evening. Tārakan and Siṅgamukhan have fallen on earlier days, and now Sūrapadman himself comes to battle, changes form again and again, and is finally split by the Vel. Tiruchendur's seashore re-enactment draws vast crowds, and other Murugan temples stage shorter versions of the same drama. Breaking the fast: For those who kept the six-day vrata, this is the pāraṇā day. The fast is broken after the evening victory rite with milk, fruit or a simple meal. Hymns at home: Households recite the Kanda Ṣaṣṭi Kavacham, Kandar Anubhūti and Subrahmaṇya Bhujaṅgam through the day. Worth remembering: Sūra Samhāram is the climax of Skanda Ṣaṣṭī rather than a separate festival, and the six-day vrata as a whole is its own observance. The next day is Tirukalyāṇam, Murugan's wedding with Deivānai, which tradition places at Tirupparankundram. Sūra Samhāram is at heart a Tamil festival, and each region meets it through its own sense of Murugan. Tamil and Malayali devotees break their six-day fast after the evening rite at Tiruchendur or the local Subrahmaṇya temple, while Telugu and Kannada Subrahmaṇya devotees know the story well without the same public spectacle. How a household keeps the vrata and ends it follows family custom, and the elders of the house are the surest guide.
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