Maatu Pongal is celebrated on the third day after
Pongal, the harvest festival of
Tamil Nadu. It is a festival dedicated to cows and bulls.
The cow is a source of milk and the bull pulls the plough in the fields. The farmers honor these animals on the day of Maatu pongal. On this day, the cows and bulls are given a good wash. The animals are then decorated with flowers and other accessories, and then worshipped. They are fed with a special rice dish called ‘pongal’. A race of the bulls are then held in the village grounds.
