Mattu Pongal celebrations at Tamarind Gardens

The Mattu Pongal celebration took place the day after the Pongal festival which was celebrated across Sri Lanka on 14^th January. Whilst the Pongal festival is a celebration of the first harvest, Mattu Pongal is the festival dedicated to cattle, specifically cows and bulls that play an integral role when sowing paddy seeds.

Legend has it that the Lord Shiva sent his bull ‘Nandi’ to earth with a message to his people, telling them that they should have an oil bath every day and eat once a month. However Nandi mistook his instructions. Instead, he told the people that they should eat everyday and have an oil bath once a month. Upon hearing this news, the angered Lord Shiva banished Nandi to earth and commanded that he would have to serve all farmers in order to produce extra crops, ensuring that his people may eat daily.

We celebrated Mattu Pongal at Tamarind Gardens, our ‘Home away from Home’ with the ceremonious garlanding of our five cows. The celebration was especially touching due to the two new additions to the family ‘Rani’ and ‘Ravan’ who were born only a few days ago. The cattle were adorned with garlands of fresh flowers and painted with ornate designs while a traditional ceremony took place, which included a feast prepared specially for the cows!

Below are a few pictures of the festivities! 

To find out more about Tamarind Gardens please click the link below;
http://www.walkerstours.blogspot.com/2012/08/live-like-local-at-tamarind-gardens.html