KUCHING: People from all walks of life yesterday had the chance to celebrate the annual Pongal festival with the Indian community here at the Kuching Waterfront.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah officiated at the celebration, held to promote the Indian culture even though the community is small in the state.
The Pongal festival, which usually falls in ‘Thai’, the tenth month of the Tamil calendar, is a four-day celebration especially among the Indian farming community to express gratitude to Surya Bhagavan (the Sun God) for the bountiful rice harvests.
Speaking to New Sarawak Tribune yesterday, Malaysia Hindu Sangam Sarawak State Council chairman Prabhu Thondarmani Krishnarao said the main ritual of the Pongal festival was the boiling of the first rice of the season in milk.
“The term ‘pongal’ in Tamil means ‘to boil’. This festival is celebrated as a thanksgiving ceremony for the year’s harvest.
“During the festival, the Hindu community will prepare Thai Ponggal by cooking the rice with milk and brown sugar in a new pot according to an auspicious time.
“The rice will be cooked with raisins, lentils and cashews and other nuts to add to its sweet flavour,” he said.
The people will be chanting ‘Ponggalo Ponggal’ aloud when the milk is boiled and overflows from the pot.
“Ponggalo Ponggal means the milk is overflowing.
“Once the milk overflows from the pot, rice will be added to it and special prayers are performed for the Sun God,” he said.
Prabhu added the festival was celebrated by the Hindus to express their gratitude to the rain, sunshine, moonshine, cow and earth for the growth of crops.
Organised by Malaysia Hindu Sangam Sarawak State Council, this year’s Pongal festival also featured other activities including the decorating of Pongal pots, drawing of kolam using rice flour and dance performances.
