Ahead of the jallikattu event at Alanganallur on Friday, the residents celebrated Mattu Pongal with competitions and religious fervour on Thursday.
Thanking their cattle for their work during the agricultural season, people decorated their cows after washing and feeding them. The horns of the cows were painted in vibrant colours and the animals were decorated with bells, garlands and other ornaments.
R. Parthiban, who owns different breeds of cows and has been awarded for maintaining good native varieties, said that the festival would always tug the heartstrings of cattle owners as they were very important for farms. “Every year, we learn new things from our cows. Apart from helping us in the farms, the animals give us milk and dung. Although several families have moved out of the village to places like Chennai and Coimbatore, they always return for Pongal. The cows unite us,” he said.
Mr. Parthiban and his neighbours took part in a series of traditional games, including drawing kolams, tug-of-war, pallankuzhi and adupuliyatam, and organised a fashion show for cows.
R. Priya, who lives in Chennai and visits her native place during Pongal every year, said that her cow was dressed up as a deer and her friend’s cow as an angel. “The best dressed cow was given a prize – sweet rice. We also played with balloons and indulged in village games,” she said.
Participating in another similar event, S. Alagarsamy, whose family travelled from Bangalore to Alanganallur, said that he would never miss the chance to come back during Pongal. “In our cities, Pongal is prepared in a pressure cooker, and there is no greenery and space to play,” he said.
