Happy Pongal! Tamil community celebrates harvest festival in Richmond Hill

Thai Pongal is a multiday Hindu harvest festival celebrated by Tamils to thank the Sun, Mother Nature and the various farm animals

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 20, 2023
Sheila Wang

Dozens of members of the Tamil community from across York Region gathered Jan. 15 in Richmond Hill to mark their traditional festival Thai Pongal.

The York Community Tamil Senior Association held the two-hour-long celebration at the Elgin West Community Centre in Richmond Hill

“Thai Pongal is a very important event for Tamils,” Kamala Yuhendran, president of the association, said.

Thai Pongal is a multiday Hindu harvest festival celebrated by Tamils to thank the Sun, Mother Nature and the various farm animals that help to contribute to a bountiful harvest.

It falls in January, which has been declared Tamil Heritage Month in recognition of the immense contributions Tamils have made to Canadian society and the importance of acknowledging the rich Tamil language and heritage.

All attendees were invited to light a lamp to kick off the celebration, followed by a traditional folk dance and musical performances on Jan. 15.

At the event, Kidambi Raj, a former member of the trustee board of the Hindu Temple Society of Canada, presented greetings and messages to Yuhendran on behalf of Richmond Hill MPP Daisy Wai and Premier Doug Ford.

Richmond Hill Mayor David West and fellow city council members participated in the event as well as Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill Leah Taylor Roy and MPP Michael Parsa.

As per the 2021 Canadian census, there were nearly 240,000 Tamil Canadians, with the majority residing in the Greater Toronto Area.