Cultural, heritage events and light-up at annual Pongal celebrations in Little India

A cow with painted horns pictured at a make-shift holding area which also housed bulls, calves and goats outside Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple during the annual Pongal Festival Celebrations (Harvest Festival) at Little India on Jan 10, 2015. -- ST PHO
A cow with painted horns pictured at a make-shift holding area which also housed bulls, calves and goats outside Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple during the annual Pongal Festival Celebrations (Harvest Festival) at Little India on Jan 10, 2015. -- ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Moorthy Rakshita, nine, tries to feed a goat at a make-shift holding area which also housed cows, bulls and calves outside Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple during the annual Pongal Festival Celebrations (Harvest Festival) at Little India on Jan 10, 2015. -- ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Visitors feed cows, bulls, calves and goats at a make-shift holding area outside Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple during the annual Pongal Festival Celebrations (Harvest Festival) at Little India on Jan 10, 2015. -- ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Dancers from Ponggu Tamil, a group made up of Indian and Malaysian dancers, peform during the light up ceremony at the annual Pongal Festival Celebration (Harvest Festival) outside Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple at Little India on Jan 10, 2015. -- ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
The annual Pongal Festival Celebrations (Harvest Festival) outside Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple at Little India will be held from Jan 10 to Jan 18, 2015. -- ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Dancers from Ponggu Tamil, a group made up of Indian and Malaysian dancers, peform during the light up ceremony at the annual Pongal Festival Celebration (Harvest Festival) outside Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple at Little India on Jan 10, 2015. -- ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG 
People walk across the light up at Serangoon Road as part of the annual Pongal Festival Celebrations (Harvest Festival) at Little India on Jan 10, 2015. -- ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
A man on a double decker bus observes the light up along Serangoon Road as part of the annual Pongal Festival Celebrations (Harvest Festival) at Little India on Jan 10, 2015. -- ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

SINGAPORE - Activities to welcome Pongal, a harvest festival celebrated mainly by the Tamil community, kicked off in Little India on Saturday with an annual light-up.

Jointly organised by the Little India Shopkeepers and Heritage Association and the Hindu Endowments Board, the activities will be held until Jan 18.

Pongal, which means the boiling of milk and rice to signify abundance and prosperity, starts on Jan 14 this year and is a four-day affair.

Heritage and cultural activities will be held in Little India as part of the Pongal celebrations. For instance, Pongal, a traditional sweet pudding, will be distributed to about 6,000 visitors to Little India on Jan 15 and 16.

There will also be an annual Festival Village at the recently pedestrianised Campbell Lane, which will offer Indian delicacies, decorations, traditional outfits and henna.

Over at Hastings Road, a Cultural Village will showcase the vast culture, heritage and tradition of the Indian community. It includes a heritage exhibition and cattle farm.

Other events include a painting contest, an interactive debate in Tamil, and a treasure hunt.

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