A vibrant festival took place at Kallandhiri village near Melur as a large number of people from five surrounding villages came together to celebrate the centuries-old traditional fishing festival. This annual event, marking the onset of the summer season, holds deep cultural and spiritual significance for the local communities.
During the festival, villagers engage in communal fishing activities, catching fish that are then offered to the deity in hopes of securing blessings for better harvests and improved health. The celebration is a vivid display of tradition, unity, and reverence for ancestral practices.
According to ANI, a large number of people from five villages near Melur gathered at the Kallandhiri village to celebrate the centuries-old traditional fishing festival The fish caught by the villagers are offered to the deity for better harvest and health. The festival is celebrated every year with the onset of the summer season.
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The tradition of the fishing festival is not unique to Kallandhiri. In July 2023, a similar festival was enthusiastically celebrated at Pugaiyilaipatti near Sanarpatti. Last year, following ample rains, the Periyakulam tank, which had been dry for a long period, filled with water. In anticipation of a fruitful fishing season, the villagers introduced fingerlings of various fish species into the tank.
As the water levels began to recede months later, the villagers held the fishing festival, drawing hundreds of men, women, and children to participate in the communal activity. The event was marked by a sense of joy and communal harmony, as participants of all ages joined in the fishing and subsequent festivities.