Aadi Perukku - An Homage to Water and Goddesses
It’s often said life is about the little things. And for me, some of these little things are exactly 4 Tamil festivals I deeply care about and look forward to every single year. It’s not that the other Hindu festivals don’t hold a special place in my heart (or create an excitement in my belly about the food) but there’s something about these Tamil/ Hindu festivals that fascinates me every single year and makes me feel like I’m celebrating it for the first time. These are Pongal/ பொங்கல், Tamil New Year, Periya Kaarthigai/ பெரிய கார்த்திகை , and Aadi Perukku/ ஆடி பெருக்கு. With the exception of Tamil New Year, the other 3 festivals particularly enchant me because of the undeniable element of nature worship involved. Pongal/ பொங்கல், the harvest festival, thanks the sun for his involvement in farming and harvest yield. Periya Kaarthigai/ பெரிய கார்த்திகை has elements of fire worship, with the burning of the sokka paanai/ சொக்க பானை (a kind of bonfire), and an aim to bring in the good energy of “light”. Then there’s Aadi Perukku/ஆடி பெருக்கு which has elements of water worship, thanking the river Goddess for the water she offers that is so integral for agriculture and life in itself.
“Aadi Perukku” gets its name from its occurrence during the Tamil month of “Aadi” and the word “Perukku” means “multiply”. In India, it’s often on this date, or around this date where the dam is opened for water from the River Cauvery to flow into Tamilnadu. Or at least it used to be, with the date evolving with times. The gush of the river once the dam has been opened is described with the word “perukku”. Usually celebrated on the 2nd or 3rd of August as that’s when the 18th of the Tamil month Aadi falls, Aadi Perukku is also known as “Pathinettam Perukku”/ பதினெட்டாம் பெருக்கு or “Aadi Pathinettu” "ஆடி பதினெட்டு" with the word Pathinettu denoting 18. Most Tamil/ Hindu are sprinkled throughout the Gregorian calendar year at seemingly random and odd dates - oh, the delicate dance you do when explaining why you have a festival on this exact date to people who were raised outside of this community and consider dates such as December 31st or January 1st as intuitive and the norm. But this is exactly one of the reasons I love this festival. You would be going about your life, and suddenly it’s April 14 (usually) and thus, the Tamil New Year (Yay! Time to reboot those New Year resolutions!). Or August. Or September. In fact, most Tamil/ Hindu festivals don’t fall on the first or last day of any month of the Gregorian calendar nor do they necessarily fall on the first or last day of a Tamil month either. And something about these unconventional dates and timings makes me wonder if such things were set in place so my ancestors had things to look forward to in the next month. Because generations on, that’s how I feel - as someone who’s always looking for a reason to celebrate, the randomness of Tamil/ Hindu festivals is exciting and a way to mix things up.
But to speak a bit more to the festival, on this day, farmers often throw flowers into the river or other rivers nearby. The sea works too but not water bodies like ponds. Water bodies that “run” are preferred over those which are stagnant. Farmers hold prayers to thank the water for its role in ensuring their farmlands thrive, essentially executing a gratitude exercise. Seeds are also often sown around this time so that they can be harvested around Pongal, the harvest festival. This act of holding the element of water at such high regard is exactly why many farmers even refer to it as “Cauvery Thaai”/ காவேரி தாய் (Mother Cauvery). And this respect eventually evolved into water/ river being seen as a Goddess like how the Sun is seen as a God. This is even more poignant when considering the fertility element of the flow of a river; how it nourishes farmland and the crops. It’s common for people to wish you on Aadi Perukku by saying they hope your wealth will multiply (in reference to the word “perukku”) just like how the river “multiplied”.
This element of Goddess worship – whether to a specific Amman on that day, or to the river herself, is why this festival is predominantly centred around not just farmers, but women as well - yet another reason I cherish this festival. Because this day is a uniquely female moment that’s shared shared between my mum, my sister and I every single year, one that has had many similarities over the years. Like how my dad often just lounges in the living room while we pray as he’s not “meant” to be a part of this. Like how my mum ties a piece of string dipped in turmeric around my sister and my hands, and then around her thaali. And I would never say this to her – but to my slightest amusement as she often prays for my dad’s wellbeing but never for her own. Like how my sister or I would ask “So when can we take this off?” sometime after my mum has tied the string around our wrists but not right away because Amma would scold us about being inauspicious. But there are also differences each year. Like how the manjal pillaiyaar Amma moulded this year looks just a little different than last. Like when we moved houses and the first Aadi Perukku in the new house just felt different because of the layout of the house and the brand new kitchen sink and prayer area. Like how once I hit 25, my mum started hoping with each one that I would be married before the next. I guess that’s a similarity now. But it’s a bond that we share and it’s not one that happens during any of the other festivals. Any festival or prayer day in our home means flowers decorated around our prayer area. But on Aadi Perukku, there would be flowers throughout the house and wherever there are water sources. And the house is just that much more brighter and colourful. My mum would wash the flowers before placing them where they’re meant to be so they would often still have droplets caught between and on the petals. Just the smallest reminder for you, throughout the day, that today, we thank Water, the elixir of life, and without it, none of what we have matters or could even exist.
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