Pongal Harvest Festival in India
January 14 · Level 3 · #1707 of 2238
Pongal is a Tamil harvest festival that gives thanks to the Sun, nature and the farm animals that help produce food. Celebrations extend over several days, bringing families together around agricultural traditions and generous meals.
How it is celebrated: households draw kolam patterns outside their entrances and cook newly harvested rice with milk and sweet ingredients. Cattle receive special attention on one day, when they are washed, decorated and given treats.
A pot boiling over is a welcome sight at Pongal. Milk is deliberately allowed to spill over the rim during the festive cooking ritual as a sign of abundance.