Description
Thai Ponggal is a celebration where worshippers pray to the Sun God for a good harvest. It is celebrated in the second week of January whereby the harvest season begins. Pongal refers to rice cooked in milk and brown sugar and left to spill over to symbolise prosperity. The common ritual for urban families is to rise and get dressed before dawn without any form of light. Dressed in their best clothes, they encircle a display of fruits and flowers and light lamps. At dawn, they savour a vegetarian breakfast. Prayers are held in temples and houses.