Tai Pūsam is Murugan's great vow festival, kept on Puṣya (Pūsam) nakṣatra in the Tamil month Tai. Devotees carry kāvaḍi and milk pots to the Arupaṭai Vīṭu temples, above all Palani, to fulfil vows made in hard times. The custom rests on Idumban's boon that whoever approaches Murugan bearing a kāvaḍi will be blessed. For those who keep it, the day is less a festival of story than one of promise and pilgrimage. How the day is fixed: The day is the one in the Tai solar month, with the Sun in Makara, on which Puṣya nakṣatra prevails at local sunrise. Keep in mind: The day usually falls close to the full moon, in late January or February. Because the nakṣatra is read at local sunrise, the date can shift by a day from one place to another. 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. Vow and preparation: Devotees keep preparatory austerities for some days before the festival. Many eat only vegetarian food and live with restraint until the vow is fulfilled. Kāvaḍi and milk pots: Pilgrims carry pālkāvaḍi of milk, annakāvaḍi of food or other vowed loads to Palani, Tiruttani and Murugan temples in Malaysia, Singapore and elsewhere. Some fulfil the vow with piercings as an extreme nērttikkaṭan, while those who cannot carry a kāvaḍi offer a milk pot or bathe the Vel in milk. Idumban and prayer at home: Pilgrims to Palani pause at Idumban's shrine half-way up the hill, where he stands sentinel on the path. At home, families recite the Subrahmaṇya Aṣṭottara, the Kanda Ṣaṣṭi Kavacham and the Kanda Guru Kavacham. Worth remembering: Tai Pūsam is a vow and pilgrimage day, not a war festival. Skanda Ṣaṣṭī, kept over six days in Aippasi, is the observance that ends with the Sūra Samhāram drama. How Tai Pūsam is kept depends on family and regional custom. Palani draws pādayātrā pilgrims on foot, Kerala temples hold kāvaḍiyāṭṭam, and Tamil communities in Malaysia and Singapore have made the kāvaḍi a great public festival. Some families carry a kāvaḍi every year, others only when a vow is made. Beyond the general rules, the fullest fruit comes from following the elders of one's own house.
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