With Pongal, the festival of the harvest, you see everywhere karumbu or sugarcane: at the entrance of the houses and a piece offered for all guests. You need indeed a pair of good teeth to eat like this farmer on his bullock cart.
With Pongal everything is renewed, old things are thrown, the house and even the horns of the bull newly painted, all evil has to go to start all new. Pongal is a typical official recognized Tamil festival, most of the people get leave those days to celebrate it at home.