NEW DELHI, INDIA, January 13, 2008: New Delhi’s community of seven hundred thousand Tamils are gearing up to celebrate the harvest festival of Pongal with literary programs, mass prayers and music concerts. The week-long celebrations will also include preparing ethnic delicacies and drawing the “kolam” in the house.
“Thai Pongal”, as it is popularly called in Tamil Nadu, is a thanksgiving ceremony celebrated by Tamil farmers to thank the spirits of nature, the sun and farm animals for their assistance in providing a successful harvest all through the year. The festival is spread over four days, from the last day of “Margazhi” to the third day of following month “Thai.”
“We still celebrate the festival by cooking the Pongal in an earthen pot with water on the hearth, draw “kolam” in the house and offer sugarcane to the Sun God,” Priya, a housewife, said. Pongal Prasadam is a mix of rice, jaggery and milk.
“We may have settled here, but we haven”t forgotten our traditions. Almost all Tamils in Delhi celebrate Pongal the same way it is celebrated in Tamil Nadu,” Natesan, secretary of Tamil Youth Cultural Association, boasted.
Even though Pongal is a traditional Hindu celebration, the local Catholic Church wants to attract Tamils on this day. “Pongal is a festival of Tamils and every Tamil should celebrate it. We usually conduct special masses on this day,” said a Catholic priest. Some churches in Delhi announced they are preparing to serve Pongal Prasadam.