Amma drew this elaborate scene! When Amjith was little, she drew this exact picture and he liked it so much he took a picture with it.

This is a Pooja (Puja) room, where offerings to the gods are made. The long poles are sugar canes.

Offering to the gods:

In the bowl - sweet pongal.   On the banana leaf - Rice with sambar, cut plantain flowers.

Turmeric root.

Amma preparing banana leaves for our first Pongal meal.

Pongal is only celebrated in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is a celebration of the harvest. It is a time to give thanks to the Sun god Surya and farmstead livestock for providing us with food.

They paint cattle and such with different color paint in celebration.

Our neighbor's design.

Pongal is celebrated by boiling milk in new clay pots. The moment the milk bubbles up and boils over, the tradition is to shout out "Ponggalo Ponggal!" Watching the milk boil over signifies good luck and prosperity. Sweets such as vadai, murukku, and paayasam are consumed, and family members visit each other.

A close up of a flower design.