The Tamil Catholic Community of Perth has last month celebrated Pongal, a South-Indian harvest cultural festival at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Maida Vale Parish.
Parish Priest Fr Joseph Rathnaraj celebrated the Tamil Mass on 11 January, which was followed by a small gathering.
Fr Rathnaraj shared his thoughts on the tradition during his homily and said as the festival was originally celebrated at the end of the harvest season; it is a way for the Tamil community to “offer their harvest to God”.
Fr Rathnaraj described Pongal as “the biggest and most important festival for the Tamil community”, and has transcended across religions since it signifies thanksgiving to nature and domestic animals.
“Originally, it is celebrated for three days in Tamil Nadu started from 15 to 17 January and includes the preparation of a Pongal dish which utilises freshly harvested rice, cooked by boiling it in milk and raw cane sugar,” he said.
“The Tamil community in Perth joyfully prepared the dish with joy and dance in front of the Church to cultural music and offered the dish at a special thanksgiving Mass in the Church.
“Many Catholic families were dressed in Tamil cultural dresses and participated along with the children in a happy celebration,” he added.
Fr Rathnaraj mentioned that the celebration of the festival proper begins on the eve of the last day of the Tamil month of Margazhi, which falls on 14 January.
“Vegetarian food will be served only in Hindu households and thanksgiving prayers will be offered to the Sun, Earth, Wind, Fire, Water and Ether, without these lives cannot be sustained on Mother Earth,” he continued.
“The celebrations come on close to the harvest season which just ended – 15 January is the beginning of the new Tamil calendar.”
Fr Rathnaraj said the Tamil community use clay pots to cook the Pongal dish with traditional firewood in the open air and facing the early morning eastern sun.
“The sun’s early morning rays are supposed to bring benevolence to the households [and] the cooked rice is distributed to all the members of the household and with it, the festivities begin,” he said.
“Everyone wears new clothes, and burn the old and worn clothes on the previous night.
“The farmers will pay their attention to the animals, especially the cattle and cows on the next day and people will celebrate it with gaiety and grandly on the third day,” he concluded.