KUALA LUMPUR: The celebration of the first day (called 'Bhogi' on January 15) of the harvest festival Ponggal, and more synonymously with the call of 'Thai Pongal' on the second festive day (January 16) which is the mainstay celebrated with communal joy to bring blessings to Tamil Hindus throughout the country for this year.
In Kuala Lumpur, civil servant Navien Ganesan, 26, who hails from Sungai Petani, Kedah, expressed his excitement as this is his first year celebrating Ponggal at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple here, besides hoping that this year will be a successful one for him.
"Here at the temple it's really lively and you can feel the Ponggal 'vibe'. Before this, I celebrated (Ponggal) at home but this year at the temple is even more vibrant as many people are gathered," he told Bernama.
Sharing the same hope, Saveetra Revathi, 26, described Ponggal as a 'renewal' and hoped it would bring more luck not only to herself but to others as well.
In Pahang, the Sri Mariamman Temple on Jalan Sri Kemunting, Kuantan is one of the focal points for devotees to celebrate Ponggal as early as 5am today with several ritualistic events held including cooking ponggal rice or sweet milk rice.
At the same time, Sri Mariamman Temple president S. Vijay Ganesan said as many as four kilogrammes of rice were cooked in a pot today along with ingredients of milk, cashews and raisin to be shared with devotees.
In Kedah, chairman of at the Sri Maha Mariamman Devasthanam Temple, N. Vadiveloo said the Ponggal festival was celebrated with more than 200 devotees here beginning as early as 5am, followed by offering of prayers at about 6.30am.
In Perlis, the Ponggal festival is also celebrated by the Tamil Hindu community at the Arulmigu Arumugaswamy Dhevasthanam Temple in Kangar which has become a mandatory ceremony every year starting at 5am.
Temple chairman, Dr R. Hari Ram, said the Ponggal festival today (January 15) was attended by more than 250 Tamil Hindus throughout Perlis from as early as 5am to 9am and will for three more days.
"Perlis is small, so there are not many Tamil Hindus, but here we still celebrate Ponggal with a lot of fun, we cook Ponggal milk rice from as early as 5am and then we will pray and distribute Ponggal rice to people who come to visit," he said.
In Negri Sembilan, president of the Sri Bala Thandayuthapani Temple on Jalan Yam Tuan, Seremban, Captain (Rtd) VR. Parameswaran said nearly 200 Indians came to the temple as early as 5am to perform a milk cooking ceremony with sweets and a prayer ceremony.
"This year the celebration is very lively because it is a public holiday in Negri Sembilan today (January 15), so there are indeed many people converging from the morning, we expect 500 to 600 devotees to come and pray in the morning and evening sessions. This festival is to thank God for the abundance of agricultural produce," he said.
In Perak, about 300 Tamil Hindus were in attendance from as early as 8am at the Kallumalai Arulmigu Subramaniar Temple in Gunung Cheroh, Ipoh here to celebrate the Ponggal harvest festival.
Temple chairman, R. Seetharaman said the celebration of the Ponggal festival at the temple is the biggest in the state of Perak and the temple management will prepare sweet rice this year between 7am - 8.30am, 10.30am - 11.51am and 2.30pm - 3pm.
It was different in Johor, Selangor and Penang where the Ponggal celebration is celebrated in simplicity but it is a harvest festival beyond religious boundaries full of meaning for Tamil Hindus.
The secretary of the Arulmigu Rajamariamman Devasthanam Temple on Jalan Ungku Puan in Johor Baru, Johor, G. Sekharan, 58, said that although today was a working day, he estimated that around 500 to 700 visitors thronged the temple to celebrate the harvest festival as a sign of gratitude to life and nature that provides sustenance for daily life.
A survey at the Sri Maha Mariamman Devasthanam temple, in Section 7 Shah
Alam, Selangor and Jalan Kebun Bunga Temple, Penang found Hindus performing the ritual of cooking rice with milk and brown sugar cooked in an overflowing pot to symbolise abundance, accompanied by shouts of 'Pongalo Ponggal' meaning 'may this rice boil over' in a communal worship.
In Terengganu, for the family of private sector worker R. Sumethi, 44, activities started by cooking sweet rice early in the morning on the first day of the Ponggal festival before her family gathers for a prayer ceremony.
The mother of one, expressed hope that in conjunction with the Ponggal festival today, she and her family will always be under God's protection and enjoy a long life with hope for a peaceful and prosperous country.
In Jasin, Melaka, trader S. Rajendran, 51, said that he sold about 600 claypots of various sizes costing between RM6.60 to RM42 each since yesterday (January 14) due to the high demand from the Hindu community to celebrate the Ponggal festival on the first day (January 16) of the Tamil month.
Celebrated over four days, Ponggal begins with 'Bhogi Ponggal', the first day to mark the last day of the Tamil month 'Marghazhi' (which is the end of the winter solstice), then the second day ('Surya' or Thai Ponggal) is dedicated to the sun (beginning of a six-month journey) to mark the first day of 'Thai' month. The third day or 'Maatu Ponggal' is to celebrate the cow, a symbol of wealth and agriculture, before the festival is closed on 'Kanum Ponggal' the fourth day which is marked by a reunion of families and communities. — BERNAMA