Women, cows, and the cosmic womb: a Tamil winter solstice festival
This essay examines the key symbolic elements of a winter solstice ceremony that takes place yearly in the cattle pens of local farmers living in the Kongu region of Tamilnadu. While Māṭṭu Pongal, the third day of festivities, describes the general honoring of cows everywhere, this essay will focus...
| Published in: | Nidān |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Univ.
2020
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| In: |
Nidān
Year: 2020, Volume: 5, Issue: 2, Pages: 27-50 |
| Further subjects: | B
Kannimār
B Māṭṭu Pongal B Paṭṭi Poṅkal B Tamilnadu B teppa kulam |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | This essay examines the key symbolic elements of a winter solstice ceremony that takes place yearly in the cattle pens of local farmers living in the Kongu region of Tamilnadu. While Māṭṭu Pongal, the third day of festivities, describes the general honoring of cows everywhere, this essay will focus on a study of what happens in an actual farm setting. More specifically, it will detail what occurs inside the family's cattle pen. I will attempt to broaden out and explore the possible symbolic underpinnings of the entire paṭṭi poṅkal event. It is hoped that a deep look into the background myths and associations this unique set of rituals encompasses will serve to broaden the reader's appreciation of some very ancient Hindu beliefs. I will explore a variety of related stories and symbols that point to the central, iconic importance of cows. In particular, I will discuss the idea that humans, at their core, are believed to strongly resemble bulls and cows. |
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| ISSN: | 2414-8636 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Nidān
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.58125/nidan.2020.2 |