Maattu Pongal
Mattu Pongal Cattle play an important role in the traditional Indian farmstead be it with regards to the provision of dairy products, its use for ploughing and transport and its provision of fertilizer. This explains the Tamil reference to cattle as wealth. On the day after Pongal, cattle are felicitated. In rural Tamil Nadu, adventurous games such as the Jallikkattu or taming the wild bull are features of the day. Maattu Mattu Pongal Ponngal is intended to demonstrate our recognition and affection to cattle and decorate them with garlands, apply kungumam (kumkum) on their foreheads and are feed with a mixture of venn pongal, jaggery,honey,banana and other fruits
Kanu Pidi is a tradition that the ladies and young girls of the house follow. Women feed birds and pray for the well being of their brothers. Women of the family place different kinds of coloured rice, cooked vegetables, banana and sweet pongal on a ginger or turmeric leaf and invite the crows, which descend in hordes to share and enjoy the "Kaka pidi, Kanu pidi" feast. Women offer prayers in the hope that the brother-sister ties may remain forever strong like the family of crows.
Maatu pongal is a festival celebrated together by the villagers to thank the cows for their favour in farming . People bath their cattles and paint their horns with colourful paints.In the evening people offer prayings to Lord Ganesh made out of mud and all the cattles of the village are gathered together and are decorated with garland, manjalthanni (turmeric water)only for cows,oil, shikakai,kumkum is applied on the forehead and fed with a mixture of venn pongal, Jaggery,honey,fruits etc.At the people torch out of coconut leaves and burn with fire and run around cattles thrice and run to the border of the village and drop their,this ritual is performed to remove all Drishti.
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