Māṭṭup Poṅgal 1973

Mattu Pongal (மாட்டுப் பொங்கல்) is the day after Thai Pongal. It belongs to the cattle, the cows and bullocks that plough the fields and give milk all year.

In the morning the cattle are bathed, their horns are painted and capped, and they are dressed with garlands of flowers, bells and beads. Pongal cooked that day is offered to the Sun and then fed to the cows, and the herd is taken round the village. In the villages around Madurai, at Alanganallur, Palamedu and Avaniyapuram, young men test their courage in Jallikattu, the taming of the bull.

In many Tamil Brahmin homes the same morning is Kanu: sisters set out coloured rice on turmeric leaves for the crows and birds, praying for the well-being of their brothers.