📅 holiday

Thaipusam Holiday

Sunday, February 1, 2026

— days to go

Thaipusam is a key Hindu ceremony that is held each year during the full moon in the tenth month of the Hindu calendar – falling from mid-January to mid-February in the Gregorian calendar. It is marked in Malaysia by a public holiday. In 2027, Thaipusam falls on Friday 22 January. The holiday will be on Sunday 13 February in 2028. Thaipusam is usually celebrated with a public holiday in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Penang and Selangor only. Thaipusam is an annual festival in which millions of Hindu devotees across the world take part in one of the world’s most passionate spiritual celebrations. Thaipusam traditionally falls on a full moon. The celebration is held as a tribute to the Hindu god of war, Lord Murugan, honoured in sacred lore for slaying three evil demons in the name of good virtue. On the first day of Thaipusam, there is a procession along the streets of Kuala Lumpur led by a chariot that presents a statue of Lord Murugan. On the second day, there is a long barefoot walk to the Batu Caves for the purpose of vow fulfilment. The walk to the Batu Caves is generally the most popular element of the celebration. During the pilgrimage, some devotees will carry large milk pots and ornate frames (kavadi). The kavadi are supported by a series of spikes that laterally pierce the skin of their chest and backs as a symbol of penance. Upon reaching the caves, devotees are greeted by a 42.7 m statue of Lord Murugan. They will then climb a large staircase into the limestone caves, where shrines awaiting offerings are enclosed in the caverns. On the month leading up to the pilgrimage, those who have decided to bear the kavadi will have mainly subsisted on a heavily restricted diet and completely fast on last few days before the pilgrimage; naturally, these extremes demand of very high level of mental and physical fortitude. Not all devotees who take the pilgrimage will pierce their skin with hooks; many will just opt to carry a pot of milk, which serves as a symbol of fertility and abundance in Hindu faith. Many Hindu devotees consider Thaipusam to be an expression of loyalty and allegiance between people and the deities. In a sense, it could be considered a form of thanksgiving to Lord Murugan for any prayers that he has answered. Traditionally, participants in the festival will offer Lord Murugan their gifts in the form of orange and yellow flowers and fruits while wearing similarly-coloured clothing. There are multiple offerings made to a great number of many different shrines, though the Batu Caves hold the most popular shrines of all. At Thaipusam, parades and rituals are held across the country, with devotees performing ceremonial acts at different locations – the most famous being at the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur where more than one million people gather on Thaipusam each year. Tourists flock to see the colours, noise and activities of Thaipusam. “The most spectacular, colourful and dramatic part, much photographed by tourists, is when devotees who have made a vow during the past year, redeem it by carrying ornamental structures (kavadi) attached to their bodies by hooks and steel spikes that penetrate their flesh. The kavadi also contain two small pots of milk, which are used to bathe a statue of Lord Subramaniam. The devotees coat their bodies with holy ash, wear saffron robes, and may insert metal skewers through their cheeks and tongues.” –Culture Smart Malaysia

History

Thaipusam is a key Hindu ceremony that is held each year during the full moon in the tenth month of the Hindu calendar – falling from mid-January to mid-February in the Gregorian calendar. Thaipusam traditionally falls on a full moon. The celebration is held as a tribute to the Hindu god of war, Lord Murugan, honoured in sacred lore for slaying three evil demons in the name of good virtue. On the first day of Thaipusam, there is a procession along the streets of Kuala Lumpur led by a chariot tha

How It's Celebrated

Other Years

2027 Fri

22 Jan

2028 Sun

13 Feb

2026 Sun

1 Feb

2025 Tue

11 Feb

Countries

🇲🇾 MY

View all →

📅 holiday Feb 10

Feast of St Paul's Shipwreck

The Feast of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck is a holiday unique to Malta because it was on Malta that the Apostle Paul was shipwrecked around the year A.D. 60. In 2027, Feast of St Paul's Shipwreck falls on Wednesday 10 February. The holiday will be on Thursday 10 February in 2028. The feast is kept on February 10th each year, and as Paul is the patron saint of Malta, it is a much-anticipated event. Out of dozens of “saint days” on the church calendar in Malta, the Feast of Saint Paul is one of only a handful that have the status of a national holiday. The account of Paul’s shipwreck and three-month, wintertime stay on Malta is found in the Bible’s Acts 27:27 through 28:11. He was being taken to Rome as a prisoner to eventually stand trial before Caesar. God let him know in advance he would be shipwrecked but would spare the lives of all on board, which promise was later kept and in answer to Paul’s prayers for their lives. The Bible says the storm was in the Adriatic Sea, though Malta borders the Ionian Sea, because in ancient times, the Adriatic’s boundaries were considered to extend much farther south. The ship broke up on the rocks near the shores of Malta, and all swam ashore. The local population greeted them, but thought he might be a murderer whom the “goddess of justice” had finally caught up with after he was bitten by a poisonous snake. After he lived, however, they supposed him to be, perhaps, a god. Paul, however, soon showed them it was God’s power at work in a mere man by healing the governor of the island, Publius, and many others who were sick or disabled among the island’s population. No doubt, Paul preached the Gospel to them as well, and when he left Malta, the inhabitants gave him all necessary supplies out of gratitude. The Feast of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck is kept at the “Parish Church of Saint Paul Shipwrecked” in Malta’s capital city of Valletta. It is also a day of processions and family get-togethers. Three things to do should you visit Malta, though hopefully not be shipwrecked there, on February 10th are:

📅 holiday Feb 23

Defender of the Fatherland Day

Defender of the Fatherland Day is a public holiday in RU.

📅 holiday Mar 19

St Joseph's Day

Every 19 March is celebrated as Saint Joseph’s Day in Roman Catholic cantons of the Swiss Confederation. In 2027, St Joseph's Day falls on Friday 19 March. The holiday will be on Sunday 19 March in 2028. However, in recent years, people have paid it less and less mind, and many local businesses in these regions don’t even close on Saint Joseph’s Day like they used to. Interestingly, there are two different religious feast days dedicated to Joseph in Roman Catholicism. Saint Joseph’s Day focuses on his role as the husband of Mary and “step father” of the child Jesus. But on 1 May, Saint Joseph the Worker day focuses on his role as the patron saint of all carpenters. There aren’t many events in areas of Switzerland celebrating Saint Joseph’s Day on 19 March. For those who have the day off, it is often spent relaxing, shopping or getting outdoors in the Spring weather.

CHESVA +1

📅 holiday Mar 30

Seward's Day

Seward’s Day commemorates the signing of the treaty with the Russian Empire on 30 March 1867 that secured the purchase of Alaska. This holiday differs from Alaska Day, which commemorates the “formal actual transfer” of Alaska. In 2027, Seward's Day falls on Monday 29 March. The holiday will be on Monday 27 March in 2028. The treaty was single-handedly negotiated by Secretary of State William Seward, which arranged for the vast territory’s purchase at only $7.2 million. Russia was willing to sell because, at the time, Alaska was costing them more to maintain as a territory than it was producing in revenues. Thus, Seward was mocked by many and his purchase dubbed “Seward’s Folly” and, other times, “Seward’s Icebox.” However, in 1897, the discovery of gold in the Klondike River and the subsequent Alaska Gold Rush quelled the objections of “the doubters.” Seward, having passed away in 1872, never lived to witness his vindication. Later, the discovery of large oil, gas, and coal deposits and the development of the lumber and fishing industries proved once again how valuable Alaska was economically. Another factor to remember is that the removal of Russian influence from the North American continent was a significant political benefit the U.S. gained from the deal. Seward’s Day is observed every final Monday of March in Alaska, and many are off work or school. There are events held every year in Anchorage, Sitka, and Seward.