Panguni Pongal festival

I still remember during my school days, we all would be

waiting for the end of the final exams....for summer vacation?

No atleast for the southern parts of TamilNadu.

Mariamman kovil festival comes at the end of hectic

and fearing final exams.All my uncles and aunts come over

from distance places for this festival.So it happens to

be a meeting time of all my cousins.I always think our

ancestors made this Temple festivals as a get together

or a gathering of kith and kins coupled with offerings

to God.

People in and around Sivakasi give more

importance to Mariamman kovil Pongal festival than

Thai Pongal.All the local offices will be closed for 2 days

for this festival.

The festival starts with flag hoisting in the

Temple usually in the first sunday of Tamil month Panguni

( mid of March).Marriages should not be held until the

lowering of flag.The 21 st day after the flag hoisting

is the Pongal festival.The next day is the Annual Agni

Thiruvizha with hundreds of devotees taking up fire

pot procession.

The third day is the ( Therottam ) Temple car festival.

The Temple car goes around the main streets .And the festival

ends wiht the lowering of flag.Almost all the people

who lives in other places gather here for this big festival.

Another interesting thing during this festival

is matrimonial arrangements.People consider this festival as

the perfect place for looking around for brides and grooms.Lot

of marriages will be held after the festival.

Panguni pongal festival is so much to us like the

big festival Diwali.

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