Women cooking over an open fire at a mass Pongal cooking competition organised by the Little India Shopkeepers and Heritage Association yesterday.

Loud cheers of "Pongalo Pongal!" rang out each time a pot overflowed.

Pongal is traditionally celebrated by farmers in India to give thanks for a year of bountiful harvest and the overflow of milk and rice is a symbol of abundance and prosperity.

Pongal is also the name of a sweet rice pudding that is traditionally cooked during the festival.