THA LIFESTYLE
| LANGUAGE & CULTURE
THE HARVEST FESTIVAL OF THE THANKSGIVING
TRADITION CONTINUES IN THE WEST
‘THAI PONGAL AROUND
THE GLOBE’
The long traditional Tamil
event of ‘Thai Pongal’ a
harvest festival, was once
again celebrated around
the globe by the well spread
Tamil community. The event
which is celebrated on the
first day of the first month
‘Thai’ of the Tamil calendar
normally falls on or between
the 13th and 15th of January
every year, the Tamil
equivalent of Thanksgiving.
The event is a big celebration
for 74 million Tamils living
around the globe.The ageold tradition of thanking the
Sun is globally practised in
multi cultural cities where
Tamils reside.
“Thai “ is the first month
of the Tamil Almanac, and
“Sakkarai Pongal” is a dish
of sweet concoction of rice,
moong dal, jaggery and milk.
This festival is celebrated
by all Tamils as it is not
restricted to any particular
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religious faith. Therefore it
is widely known as “Tamil
Thai Pongal” or the “Harvest
Festival of the Tamils”.
In South Asian countries,
the festival of Thai Pongal is
a thanksgiving ceremony in
which the farmers and their
families thank the forces of
nature, especially the Sun
at dawn, outdoors. Pongal
also connected with cleaning
up the old, setting a light
rubbish, and welcoming in
new crops. The next day
they hold another event
called ‘Mattu Pongal’ or ‘the
Bulls’ ceremony’ where farm
animals are given a feast for
their assistance in providing
a successful harvest.
The rest of the people
celebrate the festival to pay
their homage to the farmers
for the production of food
for the community. Overall,
it is a festival to encourage
social cohesiveness and
unite people by bringing
them together in a common
celebration.
In the modern multicultural
world, Tamils continue
to celebrate Thai Pongal
as a tradition and serve
traditional food to people of
other nationalities and their
community.
Thai Pongal is also an
occasion for family re-unions
and get-togethers. Indeed,
Thai Pongal is a festival of
freedom, peace, unity and
compassion. Thus, love
and peace are the central
themes of Thai Pongal.