Harvest Festival celebration at CDM,Penang

Jan 29, 2015

By Elizabeth Simon
The Church of the Divine Mercy in Sungai Ara exuded colour and vibrancy over the weekend on January 17 and 18 as the parishioners gathered to celebrate Ponggal or the harvest festival. It was an opportune moment for the parish BECs to come together as a family to give thanks to the Lord for his abundant blessings of good health, happiness and prosperity. The event, organized by the Ministry of Hospitality, saw the participation of not only the ethnic Indians but also the Chinese, Filipinos and East Malaysians who came in shimmering sarees, kurtas, dhoti and salwar khameez.

A colourful kolam greeted the parishioners at the porch while a decorated earthenware pot of milk simmered over a charcoal fire. While the flames were being fanned, the children led the kolaatam, a traditional Indian dance with the rhythmic beating of sticks in praise of Jesus for His blessings. A group of women, and then the men, followed suit. As Ponggal literally means ‘boiling over,’ ghee, cashew, rice, sugar and raisins were added to the overflowing milk to the shouts of Pongalo Pongal!

The sunset Mass began with the Karthi or blessing with light by three senior women of the parish who blessed the Parish priest, Fr Martin Arlando, who in turn blessed the congregation.

In his homily, Fr Martin pointed out the common elements in the three stories of fulfilled potential in the Sunday’s First Reading and the Gospel. First Eli, the high priest was instrumental in Samuel’s discovery of his vocation. Then John the Baptist led Andrew’s discovery of Jesus and finally, Andrew himself was instrumental in Peter’s conversion. In this respect, many of us can point out people, incidents or events that led us to Jesus.

“When I see your presence here, I rejoice”, said Fr. Martin. “It is because I know that you are striving to walk in the way, the truth and the life that comes to each and everyone of us through Jesus. Your presence here today is a spiritual sign that the grace of God is at work in all of you.”

Fr Martin concluded the homily by inviting the congregation to ponder over two pertinent questions: “Having accepted Jesus, have we become the person we can be by living up to His teachings and example? Have we also become instrumental in bringing another person to meet and accept Jesus in faith?’

A delicious banana leaf dinner was served after Mass to a large crowd including visitors from other parishes. The celebrations continued with competitions for best dressed persons in Indian attire, kolam drawing, lighting the Kutuvillaku or traditional oil lamp and weaving the decorative coconut leaf thoranam. The CDM Ponggal celebration ended with a fun filled, highly amusing contest to break water-filled earthenware pots, blindfolded!

The event not only brought the BECs together to give thanks to Our Lord for his abundant blessings, it also opened a window for many to see and participate, in the cultural practices of the ethnic Indian community.