Tamil Heritage Month

This month offers an opportunity to learn more about Tamil history and culture, and show our appreciation for their invaluable role in building a diverse, inclusive Canada.

Why January?

January marks the celebration of Thai Pongal, a Tamil harvest festival. Overflowing rice, or Pongal, symbolizes abundance and prosperity. The four-day-long harvest festival Pongal is a time to give thanks to the Sun God for helping in growing crops. The festival is marked by boiling the first rice of the harvest, which is sanctified by the Sun. Families gather, exchange gifts, dance and of course, there is a lot of food! Pongal dates are January 13-16. The main festivities occur on January 14 (known as Thai Pongal).​ In other regions of South Asia, Pongal is referred as Makar Sankranti, Lohri, Bihu, Hadaga, or Pok.

About Tamil Culture

The Tamil language and culture originated in Southern India, but Tamil people now live in many areas, including Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Madagascar, Myanmar, Thailand, East Africa, South Africa, Fiji, Mauritius Islands, The West Indies and across the world. Although present-day Tamils are mostly Hindus, there are Christians, Muslims, and Jains among them.

The key Tamil values include Hospitality, Duty, Upholding character, Respecting elders, Maintaining discipline, Gratitude, and Truthfulness.

Greetings: ‘Vanakkam’ Hands folded in front of you. Van' means 'vanangu' (worship). 'Ak' represents the alphabet 'ஃ' in Tamil. Visually, it has 3 dots and in this context, it symbolises human eyes along with the third eye (the space in between our eyebrows). It is believed that God resides inside every human being at the third eye. So, when we say 'Vanakkam', it's not only intended to greet the person but also the God who's residing in the third eye of the person.