Pongal celebration

Intermountain Catholic

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IC photo/Marie Mischel

Father Arokia Dass David (right), parochial vicar of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus Parish in Midvale, serves ‘vadai,’ a type of donut, to parishioners after the Jan. 14 Mass in honor of Pongal, a thanksgiving celebration that is celebrated in India and other countries. In India, the celebration spans four days. During his homily, Fr. David, who is a native of India, explained a bit about the customs associated with Pongal. Afterward, he invited parishioners to share vadai and pongal, a rice dish. Both were prepared by Sandhya (center) and Ashok Xavier, members of the parish.