Chennai : After two years of low key affair
due to COVID pandemic, Pongal, the traditional harvest
festival, was celebrated in Tamil Nadu with religious
fervour and gaiety.
The festival falls on the first day of the auspicious Tamil
month ‘Thai’ every year and people ushered in the
festivities with a lot of enthusiasm by worshipping the
Sun God.
People attired in new clothes, prepared sweet pongal,
a traditional dish made of rice, dhal, jaggery and milk
and offered it to Sun God as a mark of thanks by farmers
for a bountiful season.
It was celebrated with much fanfare in rural areas where
people decorated their courtyards with colourful rangolis
and tied festoons and prepared the pongal using the
traditional earthern pot.
‘Thai Pongal’ is mainly celebrated to convey appreciation
to the Sun God for providing the energy for agriculture.
The festival was enthusiastic in the temple town of Madurai
and neghbouring areas as the traditional Jallikattu (taming
of bulls), usually associated with the Pongal, was held.
Tamil Nadu Governor R.N.Ravi, Chief Minister M.K.Stalin and
leaders of various political parties greeted the people on
the occasion.
