On the 18th day of the Tamil month Aadi, which fell on Friday, the 5th of August 2022, all the people of South India celebrated Aadi Perukku, the monsoon festival in a grand way. Monsoon season commences in the month of Aadi and symbolizes prosperity. It is considered the ideal time to sow, plant seeds and take up other forms of vegetation. It is to pay tribute to the monsoon rains which fill the rivers.
The culture and tradition of India, especially of the Southern States have a beautiful portrayal in every walk of life. The livelihood of most of the Indian villages mainly relies on natural resources and in a way, the entire country is connected across these links only. Next to God, the Indians have great reverence for Mother Nature. The most important among them is Water because most of the people here are farmers. Water is connected to all emotionally, socially and economically. The rivers are associated with Goddesses bearing the names Ganga, Yamuna, Cauvery and Godavari. People across all the southern states worship these rivers with great reverence.
The Tamil month of Aadi is specially designated for the Goddesses in the country. Special prayers, poojas and celebrations are arranged throughout the states. The idols are decorated grandly on Fridays. Thousands of people march towards the temples on Aadi month Fridays. There are several special occasions during this month. One such event is Aadi Perukku which falls on the 18thday of the Tamil month Aadi. The word “Perukku” in Tamil means to flourish. Whatever is initiated on this day will flourish to a great level, that is the religious belief about Aadi Perukku. So, the important ritual conducted today is for the newly wedded couple. They will be taken to the river banks where special poojas will be conducted and the elders will bless the couple to lead a happy long life together. This way, Aadi Perukku is a festival of sentiments for the people of South India, especially Tamil Nadu.
Regarding the celebrations in Tamil Nadu, by the third week of June, farmers start their preliminary works like ploughing and keep their farms ready. By the time this Aadi Perukku festival starts, the river Cauvery which started originally from its birthplace, Coorg, Karnataka, reaches the delta region of Tamil Nadu. As people worship the river as God, special poojas are done to the river on this day and the farmers start sowing seeds in their fields for an excellent yield. Thus, the function is directly related to the livelihood of the citizens.
On the evening of Aadi Perukku, one can see thousands of people thronging the banks of river Cauvery with their friends and families to spend time together. They bring the food, usually a variety of rice in different flavours and tasty pappads from their houses. It will be wonderful to watch families doing poojas to the river Cauvery and then eat the food along with their friends and families.
This is how the Culture and Tradition of our country taught people for many generations to lead a happy and peaceful life getting along with nature and its beauty & tranquillity. Visit South India and mingle with the 4000 years old tradition of celebrating nature in Tamil Nadu on the day of auspicious “Aadi Perukku”.
