An ancient sport called “Embracing the Bull” has now been redefined as Jallikkatu,
in which Bulls play an important role. To earmark the harvest season and as a thanks giving ceremony to the bulls which have been
an essential companion of any farmer, Jallikkattu is being celebrated. This has been in practice for more than 1500years as mentioned
in the Tamil literatures.
There have been several variants in conducting Jallikkattu.
Though the Pongal or Makarasankaranthi festival is celebrated across the country, Jallikkattu is an iconic festival of Tamil Nadu.
People assemble at a common place where the bulls are let out one by one.
The participating bull should be embraced by a man holding its hump for a specific amount of time.
To encourage more participation, prizes are tied to the horns of the bull and those who are taming the bull will be rewarded with the prize.
