Thai Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated by Tamilians at the end of the harvest season. It is one of the most important festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu.
Pongal is the only festival of Hindus that follows a solar calendar and is celebrated on the fourteenth of January every year. Pongal has astronomical significance. It marks the beginning of Uttarayana, the Sun's movement northwards for a period of six months.
Pongal signals the end of the traditional farming season, giving farmers a break from their monotonous routine. Farmers also perform puja to some crops, signalling the end of the traditional farming season. It also sets the pace for a series of festivals to follow in the calendar year.
It coincides with the festival of Makara Sankranthi and is usually held from January 13–16 .
The festival is celebrated for 4 days:
First day is Bhogi Pongal,
Second day is Surya Pongal ,
Third day Mattu pongal and
Fourth day Kanum Pongal.
On the first day, Bhogi, the old clothes and materials are thrown away, marking the beginning of a new life.
The second day, is the Surya Pongal day, on this day the people worship Sun and a sweet dish is prepared with new rice, milk and jaggery, which is known as 'Sakkarai Pongal'. It is cooked in an earthen pot and when it gets completely cooked, people will say 'Pongalo Pongal' .
The word pongal itself refers to the "boiling over" of milk and rice during the month of Thai. They visit each other's homes and exchange greetings.
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 go out for picnic. This is a time for family reunion in Tamil Nadu.
Pongal is associated with many legends but one of the most popular ones is the legend of Govardhan Mountain and legend of Lord Shiva and his bull, Nandi. According to the legend of Govardhan Mountain, Lord Krishna lifted the mountain on his little finger on Bhogi, which is the first day of Pongal, to protect the cattle and people from Indra, an angry rain god.
According to the legend of Lord Shiva, on the third day of Pongal, Lord Shiva sent his buffalo Nandi to tell people to have oil bath daily and eat once a month. However, Nandi became confused and told people to eat daily and bathe once a month. This angered Lord Shiva so he placed Nandi on earth to help humans harvest for more food, therefore Pongal became a harvest festival.
Pongal has many regional names. The most popular variations are:
Makar Sankranti, Lohri, Bihu, Hadaga, Poki.
Symbols commonly associated with Pongal are:
The sun, The chariot, Rice grains, The sickle, Kolam.
Pongal is celebrated to express the gratitude towards nature for giving good crops. So let us also thank nature and God on this auspicious occasion.
Wish you all a very Happy Pongal.
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