TIRUCHI: A small village in Manapparai is keeping the tradition alive in celebrating the new year and also marking the beginning of Jallikattu season. On Wednesday as many as 150 Jallikattu bulls daintily painted and decorated with garlands were assembled in the front yard of the church for a special feast. Following which the bulls were let to roam in the village freely.
While people elsewhere celebrated the new year by visiting temple and partying, those in Karungulam welcomed the year in a different and traditional way. Karungulam is situated in the outskirts of Manapparai block, and is one among the known venues in the district for hosting Jallikattu events that attract larger audiences. Also the village is known for Jallikattu bull rearing, and is home to more than 150 bulls. As the bell for the morning mass tolled, the villagers brought their Jallikattu bulls in front of the St Ignatius church.
A special mass was conducted in the church, later holy water was sprinkled on all the bulls. Following which all the bulls were given a special feast consisting of protein enriched rice and dates. Later, all the bulls loosened up and were let to run across the streets of Karungulam, during which people in large numbers stood on either sides whistling and cheering the bovines. After which the bulls were taken back home. Speaking to Express, R Sekar, resident of Karungulam village, said, “Apart from New year, the Jallikattu season will also be starting in couple of days from the new year. As a gesture of availing blessing from the church for having a successive season, usually on the first of January we would bring our bulls to the church. For three decades we have this pratice of bringing the animals to church and later letting them out freely to roam around the village. We believe this would bring good luck for the village and for the bulls to perform well in upcoming Jallikattu events.” He added that the animals love the proceedings. Instead of raging on after seeing the crowd, the bulls will be playfully running in the streets.
Later, the bulls will be taken to the training grounds for beginning intense Jallikattu training sessions, he explained. Shivakumar, a bull owner in the village, said that apart from the traditions, the rally of bulls among massive crowd acts like a special training for the bull to keep the, calm in such situations, which is important for the bull to perform well in Jallikattu events. The bustle will mentally prepare the animals, he added.