Pongal 2015

(14 & 15 January)

Address: 19-21 Jalan La Salle, 31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia; Tel: (61) 5458220

Boiling of Milk

Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church, Ipoh, Malaysia

Pongal is a harvest festival - the Tamil equivalent of Thanksgiving. In an agriculture based civilization the harvest plays an important part. The farmer cultivating his land depends on cattle, timely rain and the Sun. Once a year, he expresses his gratitude to these during the harvest festival. With the end of the wet month of Margazhi (mid December to mid January) the new Tamil month of Thai heralds a series of festivals. The first day of this month is a festival day known as "Pongal Day". Pongal means the "boiling over" of milk and rice during the month of Thai.

Preparations for this festival start early and the first thing that is always found in Hindu homes before the start of Pongal is the 'kolam'. This is a form of decoration for the Hindus' homes. This decorative pattern is made with rice flour & is usually drawn on the floor outside the door. The kolams serve as a symbol of welcoming guests to the entrance of the house. At the center of the Kolam is a lump of cow-dung, which holds a five-petaled pumpkin flower-a symbol of fertility and an offering of love to the presiding deity.

Our Tamil community brothers and sisters celebrates their 'Harvest festival' (Pongal) with a 'Kolam' competition held on 14 January a day earlier and on the next day that is on the 15 January, 2015 they had the boiling of milk followed by Thanksgiving Mass.

Make Her Known

Held on 15 January at the church entrance.

Winners of the Competition, held on 14 January, proudly posing with Fr. Stephen with their trophies.