Powerful Influences: Tamil Heritage Month

 

Tamil Heritage Month is observed every January in Canada. Since 2016, the month of January has been dedicated to the Tamil community in order to raise awareness and appreciation for all of the Tamil peoples achievements and contributions up to this point in day.

The month of January is also the month in which Tamils across the world celebrate Thai Pongal, popularly known as the Tamil equivalent of Thanksgiving. Thai marks the first day of January in the Tamil Solar Calendar. Thai Pongal is celebrated from Jan 14 - 17 every year. During this time, the Tamil people express their thanks to the sun for shining its light on to Mother Earth. Throughout the rest of the first week of January, Tamils express thanks to everyone and everything who makes our lives not only livable but also delightful. They show their gratitude to farmers and cows in particular. The cow is seen as a divine representative in Hinduism, and as such, the farm animal is revered and protected. Furthermore, milk is an important supply derived from the cow. Thus, expressing gratitude to this particular farm animal is critical during this time.

14 Fun Facts about Tamils and Tamil Heritage Month:

  1. Canada is home to the largest Tamil diaspora outside of South Asia. 
  2. Canada's Tamil population is among the largest in the Western world.
  3. The Tamil language is known to be one of the oldest living languages in the world. 
  4. Toronto is home to one of the largest Tamil-speaking populations outside of Asia. 
  5. Montreal, Canada, records Tamil as the most spoken language according to the 2016 census.
  6. Rathika Sitsabaiesan, a Canadian politician and activist of Tamil Srilankan origin, was the first Tamil-Canadian Member of Parliament. 
  7. Motion M-24, the bill that officially declared pride in Canadian Tamils, was first introduced by Gary Anandasangaree, Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Rouge Park.
  8.  Motion M-24 is a watershed moment in Canadian history because it recognizes the incredible contributions of Tamil Canadians to our society and the richness of their language, heritage and culture.
  9. Motion M-24 received 283 'yea' votes & the decision comes after the support across party lines and various municipalities including Mississauga, Durham, Ottawa, Toronto, Markham, Ajax and Pickering, as well as the Toronto District School Board and the Province of Ontario.
  10. The harvest festival, Thai Pongal, is celebrated in this month, hence January was apparently picked as the appropriate month to commemorate Tamil history. 
  11. The Tamil Harvest Festival's presence can be traced back to 200 BC to 300 AD. 
  12. The month of January is considered an auspicious month in the Tamil Solar Calendar. 
  13.  Thai Pongal lasts four days. 
    • The first day is called Boghi (Pōki) Pongal. It is a day where cleaning and discarding of old belongings are carried out to signify a fresh start. 
    • The second day is referred to as the main day of Pongal. It is called Surya Pongal. On this day, the sun, Surya (a God in Hinduism), is honoured for shining its light on to Mother Earth.
    • The third day is called Maatu (Māṭu) Pongal. Maatu is the Tamil word for cattle (cow). This day is devoted to honour and worship the cattle to remember the work they do – ploughing the land, and supplying us humans with milk.  
    • The fourth day is called Kaanum (Kāṇum) Pongal. On this day, importance is given to the community and to strengthen ties.
  14. Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu had declared that the Tamil language is older than Sanskrit and is the mother of all languages of the world.

1,351 Thai Pongal Illustrations & Clip Art - iStock

Websites Consulted: 

https://www.chf.bc.ca/january-is-tamil-heritage-month/ 

https://www.scoopwhoop.com/interesting-facts-about-the-tamil-language/

https://www.indianheritage.gov.sg/pongalo-pongal/what-is-pongal.html#intro_Seg

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