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Pongal, an important festival is celebrated all over the South as Makar Sankranti, in Tamil Nadu it has an additional significance as Pongal welcomes the occasion of the incoming harvest. In North India, it is known as Sankaranthi. Pongal is the only festival of Hindu that follows a solar calendar and is celebrated on the fourteenth of January every year. |
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Pongal is a harvest festival, the Tamil equivalent of Thanksgiving. The word Pongal comes from Pongu (Boiling over). A dish with new rice, dal, jaggery, dry fruits, sugar and milk is cooked in a new clay pot in the open and allowed to boil over, signifying plenty and prosperity for the year ahead. This is offered to the Sun God and partaken as prasad. It is celebrated on the winter solstice, when, according to the traditional Hindu system of reckoning, the Sun, having reached its southernmost point, turns to the north again and reenters the sign of makara (Capricorn). People pray to the Sun God on this occasion. The sun is very powerful and helps in the growth of the paddy and other plantations. So this festival is very important for farmers and so it is celebrated in a grand manner in villages. The farmer cultivating his land depends on cattle, timely rain and the Sun. Once a year, he expresses his gratitude to these during the harvest festival. With the end of the wet month of Margazhi (mid December to mid January) the new Tamil month of Thai heralds a series of festivals. The first day of this month is a festival day known as " Pongal Day".
Pongal signals the end of the traditional farming season, giving farmers a break from their monotonous routine. Farmers also perform puja to some crops, signaling the end of the traditional farming season. It also sets the pace for a series of festivals to follow in a calendar year. In fact, four festivals are celebrated in Tamil Nadu for four consecutive days in that week. 'Bogi' is celebrated on January 13, 'Pongal' on Jan 14, 'Maattuppongal' on Jan 15, and 'Thiruvalluvar Day' on Jan 16. In Hindu temples bells, drums, clarinets and conch shells herald the joyous occasion of Pongal. To symbolize a bountiful harvest, rice is cooked in new pots until they boil over. Some of the rituals performed in the temple include the preparation of rice, the chanting of prayers and the offering of vegetables, sugar cane and spices to the gods. Devotees then consume the offerings to exonerate themselves of past sins. |
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Pongal in South India is one such festival with so much exuberance that people and animals join in the fun. The house is cleaned, and all maintanance jobs are done before this festival. During the four day festival, different varieties of Rangoli are drawn in front of the houses early in the morning.
The festivities begin with `Bhogi' and the first day is considered to be a prelude to the celebrations that follow. `Bhogi' is observed as a thanksgiving occasion to Lord `Indra', the God of Heavens. The next day is the `Pongal' day, which is celebrated to pay respects to `Surya', the Sun God. It is the day of a new beginning and makes people go for joyful celebrations. As a mark of respect to the cattle, the farmer's best friends, the third day of Pongal festival is celebrated as `Maattu Pongal'. `Kaanum Pongal' marks the end of the four-day celebrations.
People generally go for sightseeing, shopping and exchanging pleasantries with relatives and friends. The farmers, during this point of time, are generally flushed with money having sold their produce. On all the four days during Pongal festival, people make it a point to visit temples and invoke the blessings of the God for a good and prosperous beginning to the year. |
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In the midst of all the cheer and celebration, the cynosure of all eyes is the traditional sport of valour -- the `jallikattu' (bull-fight). The valor of the youth goes on test at the `jallikattu'. The objective of the sport is to wrest the bounty, which is put in a cloth and tied to the horns of the bulls. Unlike in Spain the matador here does not kill the bull. In the past, the valiant youth were chosen as grooms for village damsels. With all its unique features and many hued celebrations, Pongal brings lots of happiness and joy in the family. Basically a festival to celebrate the harvest, it is also a day when families come together and enjoy the happiness of a good life. |
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