Thai Pongal, the secular Tamil festival that gives thanks to the sun and for the harvest, was celebrated in Batticaloa and Jaffna.
The festival dates back in its current form to at least as far back as the Medieval Chola empire. The occasion is marked by boiling milk and rice - the 'pongal' - in a clay pot, often accompanied by various other treats and seasonal fruit. The overflow of the milk symbolises abundance and prosperity for the year to come.
The festivities went ahead despite a severe shortage of red rice, a key ingredient used to prepare pongal.
Read more here: Pongal without red rice: Sri Lanka hit by mounting shortages.
Jaffna
Batticaloa
