Happy Pongal!

We've lucked out by timing our arrival with Pongal, the biggest annual festival in Tamil Nadu - a large state in the south of India.


The build-up has been going for several days, but the main event lasts three, culminating in a final day where the entire village gathers to celebrate. Pongal is a little bit like Christmas in spirit, but serves to celebrate the end of a bountiful winter harvest. Our first morning in Tamil Nadu, we noticed that the sidewalks in front of people's homes were freshly decorated with colored rice flour murals. The second morning, it was the same, but with all new murals. And so went the third, and every day since. The night before the big day, the women of the village we were staying near were gathered together, squatting on the ground over large pots on wood fires. Inside bubbled a mixture of rice, milk, butter, sugar + spices. This is one of the main holiday treats, simply called pongal.

The following morning, we quickly ate breakfast and walked into the village to admire the new murals. These were the most elaborate we'd seen yet with more complicated patterns and designs. The women are highly skilled at this art, called kollam, which is passed down generation to generation and learned at a young age. Today's murals were obviously done by the matriarchs of the family and were stunning. (Photo: Elephant mural and colorful mandala)

Soon after, we came across fathers + sons decorating their cows for the days highlight - a race though the village. Horns were painted and colored balloons attached to their tips; bells, flowers + greenery around the cows necks; and spots on their sides. Men also gathered at the village temple, putting final touches on Hindu Gods and attaching the floats to shiny, red tractors decorated with flowers and sugarcane stalks. (Photo below: Cow decorating)

Before long, the procession from the village to the main street was underway. Women and girls were turned out in their best saris with garlands of fresh flowers in their hair and dozens of gold bangles jangling from their wrists. The men, as usual, were dressed in sarongs and collared, button-up shirts, but today you could cut them some slack because they'd put so much time in to their cows. On the main street, everyone pushed their way in for a closer look. Firecrackers were set off and the cows started, giving one boy near me (who'd painted himself in blue) a painful jab of horn to back, before they all stampeded. There were yells + cheering all around and throwing of bananas as the men chased after. After a couple of rounds of this, people began to mill about and many headed to a nearby dirt lot where a carnival had been set up. There were fried + sweet snacks, rides for the kids and shopping for household goods for the adults. This carnival lasted for the better part of the afternoon, but we took our leave after an hour to further amble through the village. (Photo: The procession heads on to the main street)

Many villagers had already returned home and they smiled broadly and yelled "Happy Pongal!" to us as we passed. Several asked us to take photos of them and their children and we happily obliged. By nightfall, all that was left were the smeared remains of the street murals and a dirt lot full of rubbish. The next day, I am happy to report, a team of women were out sweeping up the lot and returning the village back to order. (Photo: Girls eating sugarcane, another Pongal treat)

Check the "link" for more photos