Thaipusam is festival in the Tamil culture, which celebrates the defeat of the evil demon Soorapadman on the hands of the Hindu god of war, Kartikeya. It usually coincides with the full moon in the month of Thai, on the Tamil calendar, which falls within the period of January and February, according to the Gregorian calendar. It is considered as a national holiday in the countries which host a substantial number of Tamils, including Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and the Republic of Mauritius. In Singapore, however, Thaipusam was removed from the list of national holidays.