Thaipusam

Thaipusam falls on the full moon of the Tamil month Thai, when the Pusam nakshatra is ascendant — the day Parvati is said to have given Murugan the Vel to defeat Surapadman.

It is the festival most directly associated with the Vel itself. Devotees carry kavadi to Palani, Tiruchendur and Batu Caves in Malaysia, and many households bring a new Vel into the pooja room for the year.

Because the Vel is the emblem of the day, this is when people replace an older one or buy their first. Order early — courier volumes across Tamil Nadu rise sharply in the week before.