Ponggal (Harvest Festival)

Ponggal is a harvest festival, largely celebrated by the Sounth Indian rice farmers. The festival lasts for 4 days. Traditionally, the harvest is a time when the farmers get their cash after selling their produce. So, the festival starts with:

Day 1 (Boghi/Cleaning)

This is the day to clean the house thoroughly. Any unwanted things must be discarded, the house can be given a new coat of paint and preparation will be made for the celebration next day.

Day 2 (Ponggal/ Harvest Festival)

The highlight of the day is the boiling of milk in earthern pot over wooden fire. Today this has been replaced with boiling milk over gas/electric stoves. Once milk boils over, the ladies will make auspicious sounds to welcome the good fortune of the harvest. Rice and brown sugar can be added to the milk to make sweet rice, which can then be served to the guests.

Day 3 (Mathu Ponggal / Cow Festival)

This day is to celebrate the cows and bulls that have been very helpful in the farming. Traditionally, bulls were used for ploughing and cows give milk, an essential item in an Indian diet.

Day 3 (Kanni Ponngal / Maiden's Celebration or Kanum Ponggal / Visiting Day)

There are 2 versions of this day. One says that this is the day a family makes known to the villages that they have a marriageable girl at home and that any marriage proposals are welcomed. The ladies will usually be dressed beautifully, adorned with flowers and jewelleries on this day.

The other version says that on this day, relatives and friends visit each other and shower one another with gifts. This also makes sense as the farmers are cash rich after the harvest.

My Ponggal was a modest affair. I boiled milk over my gas stove after work and made an attempt at sweet rice. We then had dinner at my friend's place. Ponggalo Ponggal!!!

Happy Birthday !!!

Last weekend were the birthdays of two precious people in my life...my aunty, who brought me up since small and shaped me to be who I am today (independent, free spirited and adventourous) and my hubby, the person that I sometimes bully a bit too much, love a lot and appreciate mountaneously.

I will like to take this moment to express my thoughts on these two wonderful people.

My Aunt:

- I am amazed at how much she can keep giving. She is like a spring of eternity, continously flowing her loving tender care for everyone in the family.

- She is a very determined lady. She works for what she wants and encourages everyone else to reach for their dreams.

- Her visionary planning is awe inspiring. She is very wise in planning for the future and very very careful in any dealings.

- Her ethics are exemplary. She taught us from very young that 'it is very easy to be evil in this world today, but to be good takes a lot of concious effort.

-She is amazingly patient in dealing with all of our antiques.

- She always put others before herself, ALWAYS.

- She is a great teacher.

My Hubby:

- I greatly appreciate his willingness to let me be who I am.

- He respects my wishes, which can be unconventional at times.

- I treasure his wisdom, they direct me to the right path, I can be too free spirited and idealistic at times.

- I value his patience in dealing with my temper.

- He is the best planner. He plans the best trips and suprises.

- I love arguing with him on all things, it is so stimulating for the mind.

- He goes out of his way to make me comfortable in all ways.

- He is so continously loving, sometimes I grumblingly reciprocate for my need of space.

- I miss his 'noise' whenever he is not around, for I love peaceful silence. I hate the way he blast the tv and radio but I miss it when he is not there to do it.

- I am amazed at how he tolerate my experiments with cooking.

- We argue like hell but never carry it to the next day.

To these 2 most amazing people, I love you dearly and you will never know how much more my life is happier because of the both of you.

The celebration started with a steamboat dinner on the night of 5th Jan, followed by cake cutting, shared by aunt and hubby. We welcomed hubby's birthday at his fave pub. He had another cake the following day at home with his sisters.

Beautiful New Year Messages

I received so many messages during the new year eve and the day itself. They were all wonderful. I have picked some as they touched me personally with the depth of their meanings.

"Life is beautiful. Today's moment become tomorrow's memory. Enjoy every moment no matter good or bad cause the gift of life is life itself." (Kohila)

"Yesterday is too early, tomorrow is too tight, day after tomorrow is too late. Today is the best time to wish you." (Unknown)

"Beatiful things happen in beautiful ways to beautiful people with beautiful hearts." (Megala)

"One long year had gone. It may have brought a lot of trials and winnings. It was a path and we journeyed it together. It's an experience for our future." (Pushpa)

"The beauty of life does not depend on how happy you are, but how happy others can be because of you." (Suresh)

"Like birds, let us leave behind what we don't need to carry: grudges, sadness, pain, fears and regrets. Fly light, life is beautiful." (Siva Nair)

"A new year, a new start, a new chapter, a new beginning. Forget the bad, cherish the good." (Rajesh)

"Health makes all things possible, wealth makes all things work, love makes all things beautiful." (Unknown)

"A relaxed mind, a peaceful soul, a joyful spirit, a healthy body, a pocket full of money and a heart full of love." (Cheng Boon Yuan)

"The year has gone but made us strong. The path was long but we walked with a song. There were fears and tears but we also had reasons for cheers." (Gunavathy)

"As God waters His creation, may He also sprinkle His wonderous blessings over you and your loved ones." (Soon Kim Ling)

"I wish you a fantastic January, lovable February, marvelous March, luckiest April, enjoyable May, successful June, wonderful July, independent August, tastiest October, beautiful November and happiest December. Why nothing in September? It is just a perfect month because you were born in it." (Vajrah)

"My sweetest memory - our meeting. My biggest sadness - the distance. My biggest hope - we will be closer. My strongest prayer - our relationship continues forever." (Malar)

New Year Eve 2007

I am sitting at home, pondering on whether to join the crowd to celebrate New Year at one of the many happening places around town or have a quite, reflective and meaningful one at home. Celebrating New Year has become an issue of where you are at midnight, the names of 'hot happening spots' in town mean you celebrated. If you stayed at home, it either means you are plain boring or no friends with whom to celebrate with. But I think, if I choose to stay at home I am choosing to escape the traffic woes from the congested streets and the exorbidant prices charged (the money that I can use for a luxurious home celebration).

Tough, tough. Let me ponder more. I am supposed to have a 'fun'tastic idea by the time hubby returns from work, but I have just started thinking. He he he.

To the rest, it doesn't matter where you celebrated, HOW you celebrated means much more. Appreciate the lessons learned in 2007 and move on to 2008 with new values, new determinations and new hope and dreams.

New Year...2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!