The people of Tamil Nadu would have not yet recovered from the hangover of the first day of the first Tamil Month of Chithirai when you already have a celebration lined up for the second month of Vaikasi. Tamil Nadu has always been a place of distinct cultures and this has happened while they have, in most cases, seamlessly integrated with the other cultures around them. While Shiva is a devi who is worshipped all over India, there is the Second Son of Shiva called Kartikeya in the north and more fondly as Murugan in the south, who is considered to be the most authentic Tamil deity.
The Vaikasi Visakam marks the birthday of the Lord Muruga. For some reason, Lord Murugan seems to be more Earth-like, mostly celebrating his birthday on the 1st of June every year. There are a lot of rituals and celebrations surrounding this day, mostly related to the spear that Lord Murugan has as his primary weapon, and the rooster which is supposed to ward off a lot of Evil, and the peacock which is the primary mode of transport for Lord Murugan.
The Vaikasi Visakam is celebrated all over India. However, it is the celebrations in TamilNadu that make it even more special.
There are 6 major places of worship for Lord Muruga, collectively known as the Arupadai Veedu. It only makes more sense to have 6 main places of worship, as Lord Murugan is also referred to as Arumugam, which literally means 6 faces. The second among these is the Subramanya Swamy temple in the coastal town of Tiruchendur. The Vaikasi Visakam in Tiruchendur is quite famous among all of them. It is celebrated with great pomp and show in the premises of the Arulmigu Subramanya Swami Temple, and in the Tiruchendur beach nearby.
A lot of devotees throng into the sanctum sanctorum to worship Lord Jayanthi Nathar. They pray for wealth and goodness to surround their lives, as Lord Murugan, with his six faces, can see the north, the east, the west, the South, the heavens, and the hell too! After the poojas, they proceed to take a holy dip in the waters of the sea. You can see a lot of people offering the Lord Murugan Paal Abhishekam, which is about drenching the deity in pure milk to please them, and earn their favors
What would be a celebration in Tamil Nadu without crackers? This celebration is marked by a Grand display of Fireworks around the temple premises. In addition to the so-called official Fireworks, a lot of people also participate by contributing a little to the mood of the celebration with their own Fireworks. With the advent of online shopping for crackers, and with facilitators like bijili.in procuring crackers for the celebration of the Vaikasi Visakam has become a thing of ease!
Let us all take part in this cultural identity of Tamil Nadu, and worship the Tamil God Murugan in the most amazing and celebratory way possible with a lot of crackers and fireworks. After all, If a small town can get a massive festival makeover, then why would we want to miss that celebration and opportunity?
