Pongal Around The World

The harvest festival of Pongal is celebrated with enthusiasm by the Indians be it in India or any other country. Tamils living abroad follow their cultural values throughout their significant festival. It is great to note that even the younger generation of Tamils living abroad come forward to contribute to the development of this harvest festival. Through various contributions in celebrating Pongal, the Tamil diaspora maintains and nurtures the cultural distinctiveness.

Pongal for Tamils Abroad :

Today, Pongal has become a vibrant festival with a global presence. The dispersal of Tamils around the globe is not of recent origin and at the moment there are seventy million of them spread in over fifty countries of the world. Pongal festivities means a lot for the people residing in countries other than India. The festival gives them a chance to come out with vibrant colors to perform rituals and religious ceremonies. It gives a feel of motherland and its culture. A togetherness is tried to be rooted in the Tamil diaspora by celebrating the Pongal festival at a single place, where everyone performs the Pongal rituals and share their sweet memories of India.

Pongal In Africa (Mauritius, south Africa and others) :

There are approximately 250 temples in the Mauritius and pongal is celebrated here in a very traditional way. The pongal day is said to be a public holiday. People perform all the rituals that are associated with Pongal festival. Large number of Tamil cultural organizations are also situated in South Africa that celebrate Pongal festival in it's own way, making people feel the richness of Pongal festival.

Pongal In Europe (Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and others) :

In Britain and France there are several temples that participate in the Pongal celebrations. In Germany, Tamils tend to be full of enthusiasm during the Pongal celebrations. To enlighten the Tamil culture temples perform all the rituals and customs associated with Pongal.

Pongal In America (USA and Canada) :

It is estimated that around 300,000 Tamils stay in USA. These Tamils help to spread the warmth of Pongal festival all over by celebrating the festival in best way. There are large numbers of temples that celebrate Pongal by performing all the rituals and customs that are associated with pongal festival.

Pongal In South East Asia (Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar and others) :

Pongal is celebrated at a national level in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar. Pongal is a harvest festival and during the four days of Pongal celebration all the temples are decorated and perform Pongal rituals and customs. Houses are cleaned and rice is cooked and boiled according to the Pongal traditions. Rice is also cooked in temples while reciting Pongal prayers.