Tirunelveli market in Jaffna was bustling today as Tamils prepare for Thai Pongal.
Decorated clay plots, spoons and various fruit were being sold at the market today as Tamils across the homeland make preparations to mark the harvest festival.
Thai Pongal is a secular Tamil festival which gives thanks to the sun and for the harvest and 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.
