More than 2,000 Tamil expats in the UAE celebrate Pongal with pomp

• The harvest festival of Pongal was celebrated by more than 2,000 Tamil Nadu ex-pats.
• Women, men, and children dressed in traditional attire.
• A sumptuous lunch was followed by Tamil cultural and musical performances.

The harvest festival of Pongal was celebrated by more than 2,000 Tamil Nadu ex-pats in Abu Dhabi with a day of vibrant cultural activities.

Women, men, and children dressed in traditional attire took part in a variety of entertaining competitions and activities in Khalifa Park in the city, which were organized by the “Amalgamation of Tamil” organizations.

The festivities began at 8 am with women dressed in traditional saris and sitting on the ground, preparing the customary Pongal (a porridge-like dish) in a pot by using dry wood as fuel.

Later, they created “Kolam” designs on the floor, a traditional technique for creating ornamental art. The competition was the first of many that day, which also featured folk dances, vegetable carvings, and enjoyable games like sack jumping, the lemon spoon race, and tug of war that brought back fond memories for the communities that were all coming together for a festival of this kind for the first time since the pandemic.

A sumptuous lunch was followed by Tamil cultural and musical performances, which saw active participation from everyone with programs running till 7 pm.

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Dr. Ravichandran Subbaraj, the festival’s organizing director, stated “The sole aim of celebrating the festival is to take forward our cultural heritage to the next generation. Even as we live and thrive in our second home, our children must not forget their roots,”

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