Traditional festivities set to mark a challenging year

OPEN to all cultures and backgrounds, a group of Victorian Tamil’s are planning the Ballarat Harvest Festival to celebrate both the tradition of Thaippongal and the region’s farmers and produce.

The holiday, Thaippongal, is conventionally celebrated in Sri Lanka, India, Singapore and Malaysia as a way for people of the Tamil culture to thank both farmers and nature.

Set to take place at the Geribaldi Public Hall on 23 January, one of the event’s organisers Kulen Sivasuthan said it’s really exciting to be able to put together these celebrations after such a challenging year.

“Thaippongal is celebrated by over 75 million Tamil’s around the world,” he said.

“It’s a festival to thank nature for a good harvest because January is usually the month of harvest, the offerings centre around rice and a variety of rice dishes but there’s also a range of other vegetables involved as well.

“This festival is a mix of a traditional Thaippongal festival and a thank you to the farmers of the Ballarat region.”

As part of The Tamil Festival Australia 2021 wider initiatives, the Harvest Festival Ballarat will incorporate a range of Indian, Sri Lanka, Malaysian and Singaporean style Tamil food as well as sports and games on offer for the whole family.

Scheduled for 23 January, Mr Sivasuthan said the festival provides an opportunity for people in the region, not just those who are Tamil, to get to know each other as well as a variety of producers and farmers.

“The Tamil organisations in Victoria have come together and for over nine years, they have put together this celebration,” he said.

“We have a lot of support from the Victorian Government and they encourage us to put the festival on … it started as a thanksgiving to nature then we thought we have to make it more accessible, so we celebrate all different culture in Australia, not only the Tamil culture.”

“All different people from all different ethnic backgrounds are welcome and will hopefully be there.”

For more information about the Tamil Ballarat Harvest Festival or to reserve a free ticket, visit bit.ly/3pTXewC.