Astronomically, it also marks the auspicious beginning of Uttarayana - the Sun’s journey northwards
for a six month period. Pongal in Tamil means ‘boiling over or spill over’. It is celebrated by boiling rice with fresh milk and jaggery in new pots, traditionally at sunrise. The rice is later topped with brown sugar, cashewnuts and raisins. This tradition gives Pongal its name. The boiled milk is allowed to spill over the pot, symbolizing material abundance for the household preparing it.
Pongal celebrations include drawing of floor designs drawn with the white paste of newly harvested rice with outlines of red mud called ‘Kolam’, Often pumpkin flowers are set into cow-dung balls and placed among the patterns too. Other celebrations include singing Pongal songs, dancing, using swings and the cooking of a delicious dish also known as Pongal! Many important events are scheduled during this period as well. Pongal is traditionally dedicated to the Sun God, Surya. Tamils use the occasion to thank the solar deity for the good harvest and consecrate the first grain to him as ‘Surya Mangalya’.
Pongal is joyfully commemorated in Hindu temples with the ringing of bells, beating of drums, playing of clarinets and blowing of conch shells. Symbolizing a bountiful harvest, rice is cooked in new pots until it boils over. Rituals performed in temples include preparation of rice, chanting of prayers and the offering of vegetables, sugar cane and spices to the gods. Devotees then consume the offerings to get themselves orgiven of past sins. Thus Pongal is also a period of purification. On all the four days during the
Pongal festival, people make it a point to dutifully visit temples and invoke the blessings of the gods for a good and prosperous beginning to the year.
Pongal signifies the end of the traditional farming season, giving the hardworking farmers a break from their tedious work. It also marks the end of the winter season and the beginning of spring. Farmers also perform Pooja to some crops in gratitude for the bountiful harvest. Actually, four festivals are celebrated in Tamil Nadu for four consecutive days that week. On January 13th, the first day - ‘Bhogi’, old clothes and materials are thrown away and burnt, marking the beginning of a new life.
The second and most important day, January 14th, is the ‘Pongal’ day and first day of the Tamil ‘Thai’ month. It is celebrated by boiling fresh milk early in the morning and allowing it to boil over the vessel - a tradition that is the literal translation for Pongal.
The moment the milk boils over and bubbles out of the vessel, the tradition is to shout aloud “Ponggalo
Ponggal!”, introduce freshly harvested rice grains in the pot and blow the conch. A ‘pongal’ of rice and
milk is then offered to the Sun God in thanksgiving. People also prepare and share savories and sweets,
visit each other’s homes, and exchange greetings and gifts on this day.
The third day, ‘Mattu Pongal’, is meant to offer thanks to the cows and buffaloes, as they are used to
plough the lands. On the last day, ‘Kanum Pongal’, people mostly enjoy themselves outdoors and partake in several popular activities. A festival called Jalli kathu is held in Madurai,Tiruchirapalli and Tanjavur of Tamil Nadu on this day. Bundles of money are tied to the horns of ferocious bulls which the villagers try to retrieve. Everyone joins in the community meal, at which the food is made of the freshly harvested grain. This day is
befittingly named and celebrated as Tamilian Tirunal throughout Tamil Nadu. Pongal is today also celebrated by Tamilians working or settled both in other states as well as in various countries of the world.
Even though Pongal was originally a festival for the farming community, it is now a vibrant festival celebrated by all Tamilians with enthusiasm and joy. In Tamil Nadu, all four days of Pongal are considered important. Tamilians settled elsewhere usually celebrate only the second day. Coinciding with Makara Sankranti and
Lohri of the north, it is also called Pongal Sankranti.# Subscribe to Child Project Helper by Email
