Catholic church to celebrate Ponggal


Volunteers helping to set up the ponggal decorations at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. — CHAN BOON KAI/ The Star

THE sugarcanes have been laid out and so have the clay pots.

Preparations are in full swing to celebrate Ponggal tomorrow at the 90-year-old Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Butterworth, Penang.

Yes, Tamil Roman Catholics are marking the occasion too, as Ponggal is a traditional Tamil cultural festival.

Parish priest Father Dominic Santhiyagu explained that Ponggal was an opportunity for Tamil Roman Catholics to express gratitude to God while embracing their rich cultural heritage.

“The celebration also serves as a reminder of our relationship with nature.

“The festival not only encourages sustainable practices by honouring agriculture and its role in sustaining life, but also prompts people to reflect on their responsibility towards nature and the environment.

“This celebration reminds us of the many blessings we receive and in return, to share with those around us,” he said.

Although Ponggal fell on Jan 14 this year, Father Dominic said the church would usually celebrate it on a Sunday for better participation from the community.

He encouraged the participation of the younger generation so that they could learn and respect all cultures.

“By observing such celebrations, they will have a better understanding of culture while developing brotherhood, love and unity among all,” he said.

Tomorrow, they will be joined by parishioners from the Church of the Sts Jacques Chastan & Laurent Imbert for the event to be held at the church grounds at 5pm.

S. Tony Raj, the leader of the apostolate team, said they had been putting up Ponggal decorations at the church for the past 30 years.

He said the team of 12 members put up the decorations.

“Some of the decorative items have been recycled while others like the mango leaves, sugarcane and thoranam, which are tender coconut leaf blades, are freshly put up for this occasion,” he added.

Tony said his team members would come up with different designs for Ponggal each year as they wanted a grand celebration.

“Apart from the decorative items, we also place vegetables, fruits, flowers, nine grains, sugarcane and other items around the clay pot where the ‘ponggal’ is cooked.

“When the milk boils over, everyone gathers around to cheer ‘pongalo pongol’ three times to signify the overflowing of abundance, joy and happiness.

“Then rice, cashew nuts, sugar and raisins are added to signify a ‘blend’ of happy feelings before the ponggal is cooked and offered to God,” he said.

(Ponggal is also the name of the dish where rice is cooked in boiling milk.)

Mass is then held, followed by a vegetarian dinner.

Next, both young and old would take part in cultural performances such as singing and dancing which will start from 7pm.

Ponggal is celebrated by people of Tamil descent to thank Mother Nature for producing a bountiful harvest.

The four-day festivity starts with Bhoghi, which is spring cleaning and discarding all the unnecessary items in the house, followed by Thai Ponggal which signifies a new beginning and Mattu Ponggal on the third day, which is a day of thanksgiving for the cows that help farmers in their produce.

The final day is on Thursday, which is the Kanni or Kannum Ponggal for unmarried women to pray for a happy matrimonial life.

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