Traditional Fervour: Pongal Celebrations in Tamil Nadu

The harvest festival of Pongal was celebrated with traditional fervour in Tamil Nadu. The event featured traditional Kolam art, bull taming, temple visits, and marketplace activities. Notable political figures participated in the celebrations, marking new beginnings in the Tamil month of Thai.

In a vibrant display of cultural tradition, Tamil Nadu celebrated the harvest festival of Pongal with enthusiasm on Tuesday. Residents adorned their houses with Kolam, an auspicious decorative art, and flocked to Madurai for the bull taming sport of Jallikattu, a hallmark of the festivities.

Pongal coincides with the start of the Tamil month Thai, heralding new beginnings. Temples were crowded with devotees offering prayers, while cinemas and marketplaces buzzed with festival-goers. The centerpiece of the celebrations was the Pongal pot, filled with a sweet dish of raw rice, jaggery, dal, milk, and ghee, surrounded by sugarcane and adorned with ginger and turmeric.

The day saw political figures such as CM M K Stalin and opposition leader Edappadi K Palaniswami partaking in the festivities, along with nationwide celebrations shared on social media by BJP leader K Annamalai.

(With inputs from agencies.)