Festivals

Pongal Thiruvizha

Pongal festival is a secular festival, celebrated in Tamil Nadu as thanksgiving to God for a rich harvest. The festival is celebrated with great pomp and splendor in the second week of January every year. On the first day ( Bogi), homes are given a fresh coat of paint and old articles are removed and burnt. The second day is Pongal, the main festival. Sugarcanes, sweet rice (Pongal) and festoons of mango leaves mark this auspicious day.




On the third day `Mattu pongal is celebrated paying tribute to the cattle for bringing in prosperity. To the villagers, cow, the giver of milk and the bull which draws the plough in the fields are valuable and therefore the farmers honor them by celebrating it as a day of thanksgiving to them. The cattle are washed and their horns are painted and covered with shining metal caps, tinkling bells, and flower garlands are tied around their necks. The entire atmosphere becomes festive and full of fun and revelry.
Jallikattu (Taming of the Bull)

The day after mattu Pongal, game of valour is held in the village with great pomp and fervor. It is a “bull-fight” in which money bags are tied to the horns of ferocious bulls and unarmed young men wrestle the money bags from the bull’s horns.


Chithrai Festival

The Chithrai festival, one of the biggest festivals in India, takes place in April – May when two different festivals are celebrated in succession for about 15 days. The first is the festival of the Meenakshi Temple. Scenes from the epic story of goddess Meenakshi, such as her ascending the throne, her meeting Lord Siva on the battle field, and her wedding with him form the main theme of the festival. During these ten days, the deities are colorfully decorated and taken in procession through the main streets.
The festival of the Divine wedding is a sacred function atended by tens of thousands of people. The next day, the Divine Couple go in procession in the huge temple cars drawn by hundreds of devotees while hundreds of thousands of people line up the streets to greet the cars.

The second festival follows the conclusion of the first. The Deity Lord Alagar is taken in procession to Madurai from his temple, 20 km away from the city. During the five days of this festival, there are colorful activities day and night. Devotees wear colorful clothes and large beautiful head-gear decorated with pith figures. They carry leather bags full of water and spray on Deity singing folk songs in praise of him.



FLOAT FESTIVAL

In January-February, the Deities of Siva and Meenakshi are placed in a big beautifully decorated float and drawn by devotees around the central mandapam inside the big Mariamman tank. At night, thousands of oil lamps are lit on the banks of the tank. The profuse illumination of the tank against the background of a full moon sky, makes it look like a scene from Fairyland.




 

CAR FESTIVAL

After ten days of festivities, celebrating the divine Wedding of Lord Sundereswara with Goddess Meenakshi, the glorious finale is the sojourning the divine couple in a well-decorated car (Ratham) around the Masi streets of Madurai, showering blessings to all. The car is a massive wooden structure, with aesthetically carved wooden panels and deocrated with canopies exhibiting the indigenous paintings by native artisans, with floral and ornamental motif. The car is mounted on four massive, rugged wooden wheels and is hand drawn by thousands of devotees with devotion and veneration, and amidst the din of roar of melting crowds.

A festival steeped in tradition and a symbol of the obeisance of the devotees for the almighty - Really an unforgettable spectacle, which casts a spell on all.