Chennai: Pongal, the traditional harvest festival, was celebrated in Tamil Nadu with religious fervour and gaiety.
The festival falls on the first day of the auspicious Tamil month ‘Thai’ every year and people ushered in the festivities with a lot of enthusiasm by worshipping the Sun God.
People attired in new clothes, prepared sweet pongal, a traditional dish made of rice, dhal, jaggery and milk and offered it to Sun God as a mark of thanks by farmers for a bountiful season.
It was celebrated with much fanfare in rural areas where people decorated their courtyards with colourful rangolis and tied festoons and prepared the pongal using the traditional earthern pot.
‘Thai Pongal’ is mainly celebrated to convey appreciation to the Sun God for providing the energy for agriculture.
The fesitival was enthusiastic in the temple town of Madurai and neghbouring areas as the traditional Jallikattu (taming of bulls), usually associated with the Pongal, was held.
Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi, Chief Minister M K Stalin, AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami and leaders of various political parties greeted the people on the occasion.
