Pongal, a harvest festival celebrated by the Tamil community from South India; some say is just a cultural practice while others say, is religious in nature; so much so that it caused an uproar in Malaysia. If indeed the festival is dedicated to Surya, the Hindu sun god; then, it should be a religious affair. A pongal festival which I attended recently was rather fun. I got to pour milk into the earthen pot to prepare the Pongal dish of boiled rice and cane sugar. Of course, the sweet dish wasn't offered to the gods and goddesses like it should be in a proper religious ceremony. Instead, it was placed on a banana leaf with other food for the eyes to feast on. The Hindus there were gaily dressed; the males in their dhotis and the females in their sarees. It was a novelty watching the females draw kolams on the tarred road and there was a sense of camaraderie when the people work together to make the event a success. Then, a vegetarian Indian breakfast of idli, curry and chutney was also served. Buddha wouldn't be against that, I suppose.
Comments