Thaipooyam
"Thaipooya Mahotsavam" the one-day festival dedicated to Lord Subramanya, the eldest son of Lord Siva and Goddess Parvathi, is celebrated in most temples in Kerala. Thaipooyam is celebrated with much pomp and festivity in the Sree Subramanya Temple , Haripad. On the day of the festival, hundreds of devotees carry Kavadies or wooden arches richly decorated with peacock feathers, tapestry or artificial flowers, on a ceremonious procession to the temple and dance in abandon unfolding a magnificent spectacle in the temple precincts. Thousands of small traditional oil lamps fixed on the outer walls of the temple are lit on the festival night.
Muruga is worshipped in Kerala as Subrahmanya and in some parts of Northern India as Karthikeya. The famous Muruga temples in Kerala are: Payyannur (Northern Kerala), Harippad (Alappuzha Dist.), Udayanapuram, Kidangoor, Kodumbu (Palakkad Dist.), Ulloor (near Thiruvananthapuram), Thampanoor (Thiruvananthapuram), Perunnai (near Changanassery, Kottayam Dist.) and Cheriyanadu near Chengannoor (Alappuzha Dist.)
