With the December 26 tsunami casting its dark shadow, the Pongal celebrations in many parts of Tamil Nadu were subdued on Friday, the second day of the four-day festival.
Close to 8,000 people died, over 6,000 in Nagapattinam alone, when killer tsunami waves battered 13 districts of the state.
The usual gaiety and enthusiasm was absent in all these 13 districts -- Chennai, Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Nagapattinam, Turuvarur, Thanjavur, Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Ramanathapuram and Pudukottai.
Elsewhere in the state, people worshipped the Sun god, thanking the lord for a bountiful harvest.
Freshly harvested rice was cooked in new earthen pots and presented to the Sun god along with sugarcane and fruits. The pots were tied with turmeric saplings.
Dressed in new clothes, people visited various temples.
On Saturday, cows and bullocks would be worshipped by farmers in rural areas.
The four-day festivities would conclude on Sunday with 'Kaanum pongal' when people would throng various places of entertainment.