Pongal is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Tamils in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the Indian Union Territory of Puducherry and Sri Lanka
In Tamil, the word Pongal means "overflowing" which signifies abundance and prosperity. On the day of Pongal, at the time of sun rise there is a symbolic ritual of boiling fresh milk in a new clay pots and when the milk boils over and bubbles out of the vessel, people shout "Pongalo Pongal!" Thai Pongal is mainly celebrated to convey the appreciation and thankfulness to the sun as it is the primary energy behind agriculture and a good harvest. Tamils decorate their homes with banana and mango leaves and embellish the floor with decorative patterns formed using rice flour.
Maatu Pongal
Cattle
play an important role in the traditional Indian farmstead be it with regards
to the provision of dairy products, its use for ploughing and transport and its
provision of fertilizer. This explains the Tamil reference to cattle as wealth.
On the day after Pongal, cattle are celebrated. Maattu Pongal is intended to
demonstrate recognition and affection to cattle and decorate them with
garlands, apply kungumam on their foreheads and feed them with festival foods.
Helen
and I were invited by my photo friend Jeevi to an area near one of my favourite
shooting places near Byram. There is a concentration of cow stalls on a nearby road
where the cattle are brought in after grazing along the roads in the area. The
owners here likely have other jobs and run the cattle as a traditional interest.
Mature cattle are sold into the local food industry. We arrived just before the
cattle returned to stables decorated and adorned for the occasion. We visited
several properties where the milk was being boiled in adorned clay pots as a Pongal tradition. The kids, particularly the girls were dressed in their best.
We ended up being hosted by one family that are particular friends of Jeevi. The cattle after returning were being fed with a dark soy-based, muddy-looking mixture. Most had their horns painted red and some had red-painted adornments on their ears or handprints on their flanks. Only the proud bull was garlanded and he looked particularly regal. Nearby one mother showed off her three day old baby while nibbling on the festive decorations.
Food
had been prepared and was offered to us and the family joined in. At one point
the cattle had various coloured powders thrown on them by the children.
Firecrackers appeared and went off at regular intervals as various owners
celebrated the bounty their cattle provided. As anywhere in the world, little
boys became adventurous with the fireworks and several were seen to ignite in
the middle of freshly deposited cow pats. An indented version of the
aforementioned detritus was the centrepoint of one offering.
The cows were given their celebratory food and aromatic smoke from a lamp permeated the barn. There was a sweet ending to our dinner……nibbling on sugar cane.
This was the first time I had my dinner in a cow yard and I am particularly thankful to our hosts for the enjoyable experience.
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