- Holidays and Celebrations
Pongal activities for kids
Pongal is a fun festival celebrated in the state of Tamilnadu in South India. This is like the Thanksgiving Day celebrated in the U.S. For Tamil people all over the world, this is the biggest festival that is celebrated over a period of four days with lots of fun activities, great food and a variety of entertainment. Kids love pongal as they get there is a lot of fun pongal activities for kids like destroying and burning the old stuff, buying new stuff, watching movies and collect gifts from elders.
The first day of Pongal is called as Bogi. On this day, people get up early and start throwing away and destroying old clothes and stuff by burning them symbolically indicating the end of one year and the auspicious start of the new Thai month.
The second day is the main Pongal day where people make a variety of food items, everyone wears new clothes and get blessings from elders. People thank "The Sun" and worship the never failing Sun as life goes on depending on its function. The third day is called Maattu Pongal,when people especially farmers offer their thanks to cattle, as they help them for agriculture. On this day the cattle are decorated with paint, flowers and bells. They are allowed to roam free and fed sweet rice and sugar cane. Some people decorate the horns with gold or other metallic covers.
Watch movies and TV
Usually during Pongal, plenty of new movies get released to cash in on the audience interest. In 2010, movies like Aayirathil Oruvan, Goa, Kutty are released. Plenty of special programs are broadcasted on all TV channels to keep the people entertained. One of the entertaining pongal activities for kids is to watch the movie with their favorite star in it or an interview with them on TV on this special day and to know how they celebrate their day.
Get Blessings from elders
During the fourth and final day called as Kaanum Pongal people visit their relatives family and friends to enjoy the festivities. Fresh sugarcane is available all over the place only during this season, so people buy them and chew it up. Kids get blessings from their elders and get gifts and money from them.
A variety of desserts and pongal varieties are made in every household for kids to enjoy. Check out these recipes where you can involve your kids to try them out too. Shopping and eating snacks and sweets makes one of the fun pongal activities for kids.