Thai Pongal Festival

A time of colorful celebration of happiness and prosperity, Thai Pongal harvest festival observed by the Hindu population of Sri Lanka in the month of January portrays beautiful rituals  as an expression of jubilation over life's renewal.  It is a time of offering thanks to the gods, worship the sun, the earth, the cattle and bounty with devotion. Throughout the month, the front yards and entrances of houses are decorated with the traditional colorful designs called "Kolam"  drawn with rice flour.  

On the Thai Pongal day, all family members starts the day early dressed in new clothes and  then gathers  around a fire wood hearth set up using three bricks to  follow the ritual of boiling of milk at sunrise and  to cook the  traditional rice pudding. During this time, cattle are worshipped and given a day of rest and they are caparisoned with beads, bells and flower  garlands and  their horns painted and capped  with gleaming metal. Devotees fulfill their religious activities at Kovils and partake in the celebrations indulged in an aura of renewal.