Pongal

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Pongal பொங்கல்
Observed by	Tamils
Type	Festival, Indian
Significance	Harvest festival. Thanking Nature for prosperity
Date	First day of Thai in the Tamil calendar
2007 date	January 15
Celebrations	Feasting, gift-giving, visiting homes

Pongal (Tamil: பொங்கல்) is a Harvest Festival, mostly celebrated in south India. Pongal in Tamil means "boiling over." Traditionally celebrated at harvest time, it is a celebration of the prosperity associated with the harvest. Pongal is celebrated by the Indian state of Tamil Nadu as well as Tamils worldwide, including those in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Singapore. The festival has been in practice for some 5,000 years.^{[citation needed]}

While Pongal is predominantly a Tamil festival, it is also celebrated in several other provinces with different names. In Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Karnataka, the harvest festival Sankranthi is celebrated. In northern India, Pongal is called Makara Sankranti. In Maharashtra and Gujarat, it is celebrated on the date of the annual kite flying day, Uttarayan. It also coincides with the bonfire and harvest festival in Punjab and Haryana, known as Lohri. People of all relegion celebrate pongal festival in India.

Contents 1 Celebration 2 Astronomical significance 3 See also 4 External links

[edit] Celebration

Tamils refer to Pongal as "Tamizhar Thirunal" (meaning "the festival of Tamils"). This festival originated in Tamil Nadu. The saying "Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum" (தை பிறந்தால் வழி பிறக்கும், meaning "the birth of the month of Thai will pave the way for new opportunities" often is quoted regarding the Pongal festival.

Usually, the festival takes place January 12 — 15 (on the Gregorian calendar). The festival is celebrated four days from the last day of the Tamil month Maargazhi (December — January) to the third day of Thai (January — February).

The first day, Bhogi, is celebrated by throwing away and destroying old clothes and materials, by setting them on fire, marking the end of the old Thai and the emergence of the new Thai.

The second day, Pongal, is the main day, falling on the first day of the Tamil month Thai (January 14 — 15). Also known as Veetu Pongal, it is celebrated by boiling rice with fresh milk and jaggery in new pots, which are later topped with brown sugar, cashew nuts and raisins early in the morning and allowing it to boil over the vessel. This tradition gives Pongal its name.

The moment the rice boils over and bubbles out of the vessel, the tradition is to shout of "Ponggalo Ponggal!" and blowing the sangu (a conch), a custom practiced during the festival to announce it was going to be a year blessed with good tidings. For Tamils, it is considered a good sign to watch it boil over, since it means that good luck and prosperity is forthcoming.

The New boiled rice is offered to the Nature during sunrise, a gesture which symbolises thanks to the sun and nature for providing prosperity. It is later served to the people present in the house for the ceremony. People also prepare savories and sweets, visit each other, and exchange greetings.

The third day, Maattu Pongal, is for offering thanks to cattle, as they help farmer in different ways for agriculture. Jallikattu, a "taming the wild bull" contest, is the main event of this day.

During the final day, Kaanum Pongal (the word kaanum means "to view") people visit beaches and theme parks. They also chew sugar cane and decorate their houses with kolam.

[edit] Astronomical significance

The astronomical significance of the festival is that it marks the beginning of Uttarayana, the sun's movement northward for a six-month period. In Hinduism, Uttarayana is considered auspicious, as opposed to Dakshinaayana, or the southern movement of the sun. All important events are scheduled during this period. Makara Sankranthi refers to the event of the sun entering the zodiac sign of Makara (Capricorn).

[edit] See also

• List of Harvest Festivals

[edit] External links

• Pongal Festival
• Pongal from Dmoz.org
• Significance and Philosophy of the Pongal festival
• Lohri
• Lohri Festival

Festivals in the Hindu calendar

Sankranti | Hosa Varsha | Gowri Habba | Anantana Vrata | Bheemana Amaavaase | Satyanarayana Pooja | Datta Jayanti | Pongal | Holi | Ugadi | Vishu | Rama Navami | Krishna Janmaashtami | Onam | Ganesh Chaturthi | Vaisakhi | Navratri | Durga Puja | Vijayadashami | Dasara | Karwa Chauth | Deepawali | Thaipusam | Maha Shivaratri | Ekadasi | Mahalakshmi vrata | Raksha Bandhan | Bhai-Dooj/Bhau-Beej | Puthandu v • d • e