For the 200 foreign tourists who were in Madurai on Thursday, it was a day to enjoy the local flavour by being in the midst of villagers for Pongal celebration.
Thanks to the arrangements made by the Tourism Department, these tourists got a chance to participate in Tamil Nadu’s traditional festival at Tiruvedagam village near Sholavandhan and enjoy a complete feast.
The visitors were taken from the tourism office near Periyar bus stand in the city to the village in special buses and coaches on a three-hour trip.
“They were delighted when they were received with warmth and affection by the people of Tiruvedagam. They were garlanded and a traditional welcome was accorded to them,” K. Dharmaraj, District Tourism Officer, told The Hindu on Friday.
The tourists, who came from various countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Austria and also a couple of African countries, watched how the delicious sweet pongal was prepared by the villagers.
Mr. Dharmaraj said this year the department had also included around 50 tourists from northern States following requests made in this regard in the past few years.
Villagers performed traditional folk arts, including ‘kaavadi’, ‘thappattam’ and ‘karagam’. Rural martial arts too were demonstrated to the tourists.
“Foreigners were curious to see how ‘kolams’ were drawn in front of houses. They were very happy and satisfied with the trip,” he said.
In the afternoon, there was a traditional lunch served on banana leaves and the visitors enjoyed the taste of the food items. Tiruvedagam panchayat president Periyasamy along with the villagers received the tourists and honoured them.
