Thaipoosam is being celebrated with traditional fervour and gaiety in the Murugan temples in Tamil Nadu. The festival is also celebrated all over the World where Tamils are living. The festival includes Kavadi Aattam and also Paal Kavadi where people carry pots of milk as an offering to lord Muruga.

The devotees also pierce themselves with Vel skewes in tongue, cheeks and skin as a purification process. The festival is prominent in neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore and South East Asian Countries and also in the US and UK. The festival falls on the full moon day of the Thai month in the Tamil Calendar.