|
PANGUNI UTTIRAM
The marriage of the god and goddess is the
annual event in all temples in Tamil Nadu in the month of Panguni.
This month is also noted for the Uttiram festival for Lord
Subrahmanya or Muruga for ten days. For villagers, this is a very
important festival and as it comes off in the off-season, they participate in it fully and give offerings of paddy to the temples.
On the morning of the final day the Vel or the lance,
which is the chief weapon of Lord Subrahmanya, is taken out in
a procession to the river bank, where devotees make offerings. Along with
the deity, a pair of wooden sandals, Kavadi - a palanquin-like structure
with bells and other decoration on it and a baton known
as the Idumban Thadi are also anointed
The day following the Panguni Uttiram is
set apart for the
Idumban festival. On this day, Pujas and offerings are made
to Idumban vassal of Lord Subrahmanya. During the course of puja,
the deity's spirit is believed to enter many a devotee
who will there upon act as though he is in a state of delirium. He will beat
himself with the Idumban Thadi and also give out forecasts which can be
deciphered only with difficulty. These are said to forecast coming events and
the people believe that Idumban himself is doing so through the medium.
THE KAMBAM FESTIVAL
The Kambam or pillar festival
is celebrated in most villages. The initiation of the festival take place on Tuesday by
fetching the flowers of Alari and offering it to the Ayyanar deity.
On the same day, the next week, a three-pronged branch of Margosa
is brought in and ceremoniously planted in front
of the temple. This is a ceremony corresponding to the hoisting of the
flag, with this, the festival has officially commenced and no one can
leave the village until the conclusion of the festival. For a whole
week man dance around the Kambam in the evenings.
On the next Tuesday,
the villagers cook pongal in the temple
premises. On Wednesday, the chariot is dragged
around the streets. A small live lamb is placed down with its neck
under the wheel of the moving chariot and is thus sacrificed. This is done at every street corner. The lambs so sacrificed are
given away to the dhobis as consideration for decorating
the chariot. On Thursday, a score of men pierce their skins
with needles and sharpened skewers and take out a procession. The women
prepare Mavilakku (a ball of sweetened rice flour with a wick burning at
the top fuelled with ghee). Each woman carriers a plate of Mavilakku which
is decorated with flowers of the Alari tree. On that night, the
deity is taken round the streets in a decorated palanquin. Fire works are
displayed to add to the fun. On Friday the celebrations come to a
close. The Kambam planted before the temple is up rooted taken
ceremoniously around the streets and finally dropped into a well, during
this procession the villagers spill coloured turmeric water on one
another. Women from every house carry Mavilakku to the temple in their
palms as offering to the deity.
On the eighth day,
the pandaram (priest) enters into a fast. Before he commences the fast, he is taken in procession to a well. He
carries on his head the Kambam or a new earthen pot decorated
with flowers and leaves of Margosa. After a bath, an amulet
is tied to his wrist by a Brahmin priest. The Pandaram then enters
the temple and lives with in its premises for the next three days. On the
ninth day, a collective offering of Pongal is made to the deity. All
the families in the village are notified by tom-tom about the exact time
of the offering. Those who offer to prepare the pongal are taken in
procession to the village, square where the pongal is prepared
individually, offered to the deity and then distributed to the
congregation as prasadam.
On the tenth day,
the Mavilakku offering is repeated and
at the end of the procession, the kumbam is dropped in to the well. The
pandaram cuts the amulet tied on his wrist and throws it in to the well. On that night,
drama (Therukkoothu) or dance is arranged. Another
festival is great importance is the Madurai Veeran
festival in villages. Animals are sacrificed during this festival.
|
