Multicoloured lights greeted visitors to Little India last night, as the streets were lit up to herald the start of the Pongal festival celebrations in Singapore, which kicked off yesterday and will last until Feb 9.

Pongal is a harvest festival that marks the start of spring, and is celebrated by Tamils, particularly in South India and the state of Tamil Nadu. It is a thanksgiving celebration for a year of bountiful harvest.

During this period, families carry out rituals such as lighting oil lamps and decorating the floors of their homes with colourful designs using rice flour.

They also cook Pongal, a traditional sweet rice pudding cooked with cow's milk, which is served to relatives and friends.