To usher in 2026’s Pongal celebrations, the Indian Heritage Centre (IHC) will host a Pongal Open House featuring a series of special programmes across two weekends on Jan 10, 11, 17 and 18.
This year’s festivities aim to immerse visitors in a rustic, rural village atmosphere, offering programmes and activities that speak more deeply about the traditions surrounding the harvest festival.
Pongal is a traditional four-day harvest festival celebrated by Tamils to express gratitude for a bountiful crop. During the festivities, thanks are offered to the sun, cattle, and nature for their roles in a successful harvest. It marks the sun’s transition into the auspicious Tamil month of Thai (mid-January to mid-February).
On Jan 10, a “pulli kolam” (dot kolam) workshop will be held where participants can create their own unique kolam designs using traditional rice-based materials and eventually take home their creation.
On the same day, a “Village Trail & Banana Leaf Pongal Meal” segment is also offered at S$30 per participant. Participants will walk through Little India to observe how local businesses prepare for the festival and experience the vibrant festive atmosphere on the streets. The trail will conclude with a vegetarian banana leaf lunch at Ananda Bhavan restaurant.
An interactive storytelling session titled “Mongal Pongal” will be held at the IHC for both parents and children. This lively storytelling session will focus on a central character named Mongal, a grumpy monster who steals the sun, through two stories. The tales revolve around how the children manage to rescue the sun just in time for the harvest festival.
Helmed by Abhi Krish, author of both the stories Mongal Thirudiya Pongal and Pongal Thirudiya Mongal, this session, priced at S$20 per parent-child pair, offers a fun way for children to learn about the traditions of the festival and the joy it brings.
Renowned for their vivid colours, intricate details, and glittering gold foil, Tanjore art paintings are a classic South Indian art form that always leaves one in awe. Through a Tanjore painting workshop, at S$25 per participant, held on Jan 11, participants can learn key techniques for designing and creating their own Tanjore painting masterpiece.
In addition to the ticketed programs, several free activities will be held at the centre on all four days from 10am to 5pm.
The public can walk into a Pongal Festival Market, where live demonstrations of pottery-making and Pongal-making will be held. Admission is free.
Beyond the workshops and activity segments, there will be various craft activities for everyone to enjoy, such as making cattle toys, creating Pongal-themed charm keychains and pins, and colouring sessions. Free snacks and refreshments will also be provided to visitors on all days.
More information about IHC’s Pongal celebrations is on the official website: ihc-programmes.peatix.com.
Adding a creative flair to this year’s festivities is a new Pongal music video by IHC.
Viknesh Dairy Farm, located in the Lim Chu Kang area, served as the scenic backdrop for the video shoot, featuring colourful floral arrangements, festive decorations, and a traditional wooden bullock cart.
Some 10 dancers from the Royalusion and Makoolam Kalaikoodam dance troupes are featured in this Pongal music video.
They were joined by Santhosh Kumar Rangasamy, 29, a renowned hip-hop dancer from Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. He shared that this was his first time performing in a traditional folk dance style for a music video.”It was quite challenging for me when I was learning the choreography during the first two days,” he said.
Director of the music video Anuradha Kanderaju, 45, highlighted the significant involvement of youth in this year’s Pongal music video. “Young people are vibrant and bring fresh ideas to the table,” she said.
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