8 PROMINENT THINGS IN THE SHOPPING LIST FOR THE HARVEST FESTIVAL PONGAL

 

Shopping spree in Chennai is right now in full swing. Amidst the night lock downs and Sunday’s full lock down people are trying to get the best bargains. As the harvest festival is fast approaching the shopping activities of the people are mostly focused towards:

·        Mud pots and vessels

·        Sugar canes

·        Turmeric leaves (rhizomes)

·        Mango and plantain leaves

·        Rice, jaggery, ghee pulses

·        Colour powder for Rangoli

·        New dresses

·        Fresh vegetables especially all root vegetables

This festival of harvest is celebrated here on all three days. In this festival main attention is with the crops, gathering, cooking and eating. People are busy eating variety of dishes these days. Starting with as the name suggests:

*Pongal

*Chakkara Pongal

*poli

* Vada

*Appalam

*Avial

*Khadhambam

*Pulihora

*thenga sadham (coconut rice)

*thayir sadham (Curd rice)

*chips made out of sweet potato, potato, raw banana, yam

* Sweet pachadi made with yellow pumpkin &jaggery

These are the few major items prepared during this festival and other tit bits and snacks too get into this list basing on the regional flavours. Vegetables play an important role in this festival apart from cereals and grains. All the harvested vegetables go into the making of sambhar on the Pongal day namely raw banana, sweet potato, colocasia, yam, pumpkins both yellow and white, and broad beans (Avarakkai).

Villages glow and glitter during this festival rather than towns and cities. Cows and cattle too are decorated and worshipped for their support in successful farming. If you get a chance to visit any village during this harvest festival, don’t miss it, you can get to witness a happy and simple living.

Do share it in comments about a latest village trip you made.