A Pictorial Celebration of Pongal

We came back home yesterday and it was really coming back home. It was a wonderful 3 day break though it didn't feel or look much like one, me with my laptop in tow. With a blogging marathon you can't expect anything less right. I found it strange myself but then there you go! 

While I enjoyed posting about the Sankranthi Celebrations we had at my SIL's place, I was elated seeing some more of traditional Pongal Celebrations shared by my friend U. I immediately asked her if I could share it on the blog, she was most kind enough to give me her pictures. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did. Some of the traditional customs are no longer followed or observed. So I was really so happy seeing them observed at her place.

Pongal or Sankranthi is a Harvest Festival. It's the time when all the new crop that is harvested is cooked and offered as a prayer to Sun God.

 The Beautiful Kollams or Rangolis decorating the portico. See that beautiful hand written greetings in Tamil, written by my friend.

Beautiful Kollams with colours, symbolizing different colours in life, in abundance to come!

The clay pots getting ready to be set for cooking the Pongal. One pot for the Sweet pongal and another for plain rice. Since

 Breaking coconut directly over the rice to add more taste to the sweet pongal.

Jaggary is getting added.

Everybody takes turn to add the rice to the boiling water.

The Rice gets cooked and spills over..

Finally once it is cooked, everybody walks around the pot singing the glory of God.

Check out my Blogging Marathon buddies in action! Priya Suresh, Jay, Gayathri, Monika, PJ, Priya Vaasu, Azeema, Reva, Ayeesha, Veena, Usha & Soumya.