Colourful Indians
Thai-Pongal Festival
Pongal, literally means "boiling over" is celebrated by Tamils all over the world as a Thanksgiving for a good harvest, and not just in India.
Indians of Tamil origin that had migrated to other parts of the world, including Malaysia, continue to observed this festival with little changes to those observed in India.
The main celebration is to let the rice boil over with milk in a clay pot (see photo). This will imply future fortune for the family.
The Pongal festival is held through the first four days of the Thai month (Tamil month) and is usually in mid-January. This Thai month is considered the luckiest month of the year by the Tamil Indians.
Deepavali is an important festival of India. It is also known as Diwali. This festival is celebrated with decorative illuminations and fireworks. Deepavali literally means festival of lights. Different myths are associated with this glittering festival, but the central theme of all myths is that Good wins over Evil.
Before Diwali night, people clean, renovate and decorate their homes. On Diwali night, Hindus dress up in new clothes or their best outfit, light up diyas (lamps and candles) inside and outside their home, participate in family puja typically to Lakshmi - the goddess of wealth and prosperity.
After puja (prayers), fireworks follow, then a family feast including mithai (sweets), and an exchange of gifts between family members and close friends. Diwali also marks a major shopping period in nations where it is celebrated.
Diwali is an important festival for Hindus. The name of festive days as well as the rituals of Diwali vary significantly among Hindus, based on the region of India.
Tamil New Year, is the celebration of the first day of the Tamil new year in mid-April by Tamils in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in India, in Sri Lanka and by the Tamil population in Malaysia, Singapore, Réunion andMauritius. On this day, Tamil people greet each other by saying "Puthandu Vazthukal" ( புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள் ) or "Iniya Tamizh Puthandu Nalvaazhthukkal" (இனிய தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்) which basically means Happy New Year. The festive occasion is in keeping with theHindu solar calendar.
Tamil New-Year is also called Puthandu.
Thaipusam is a holy festival celebrated by Hindus of Tamil origin from South India, as a thanksgiving to their diety, Lord Subramaniam (also known as Lord Muruga). It is perhaps the most elaborate and spectacular of all the Hindu festivals, mainly due to the combination of what seems like a painful body piercing and a religious practice. It is celebrated mostly by the Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (January/February).
The word Thaipusam is a combination of the name of the month, Thai, and the name of a star, Pusam. This particular star is at its highest point during the festival. The festival commemorates the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a Vel "spear" so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman. There is a misconception among people that Thaipusam marks Murugan's birthday; however, it is believed that Vaikhasi Vishakam, which falls in the Vaikhasi month (May/June), is Murugan's birthday
Thaipusam celebration in Malaysia is in fact one of the major religious festival in the country. It is also the biggest among the countries that celebrate Thaipusam, including India.
Tamil New-Year
Festival
As in most ancient religions, many of the Hindu holidays are based on the cycle of nature. They mark the change of seasons, celebrate the harvest, and encourage fertility of the land. Others are dedicated to a particular deity, such as Shiva or Ganesh.
Still other popular holidays commemorate events in the lives of Rama or Krishna. In addition to the major Hindu festivals that are celebrated throughout India, many regional festivals are also held in honor of various deities.