News/2016/2016.01.14

2016

Celebration of ‘Thai Pongal’ and 10 years of Noolaham Foundation 14.01.2016, Noolaham Foundation,Kaddaipiray office, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

The traditional harvest festival of ‘Thai Pongal’ and 10 years of Noolaham Foundation were celebrated with enthusiasm on Friday 16 January 2016 at Adiyapatham Rd,Kokuvil east, Kokuvil. Eleven years ago, on January 15, 2005, Noolaham Foundation was inaugurated as Project Noolaham.

Noolaham Foundation’s Jaffna staff cooked the sweet rice dish of Pongal over open fires. The Thai Pongal festival is an occasion to give thanks and look forward to embracing new beginnings. It is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Tamil people. The staff exchanged Pongal wishes, hoping that it brings the harbinger of good luck, good fortune and good cheer. Mr. Sivarajah Lambotharan (Acting Chief Program Executive, Noolaham Foundation) gave thanks for the hard work of everyone during the past year and wished them a successful future.

Staff members drew the Kolam with rice flour that was plain as well as colored. Parallel straight lines were drawn using a cylindrical rod as a guide. The Pongal was set up in direct view of the Sun (East). As soon as the boiling was over, the cooked rice, i.e. Pongal, was offered to the Sun God. Camphor was lighted; coconut was broken, Tevaram was sung and there after everyone joined the lunch.