What is pongal ?

Pongal is known as the harvest festival where Hindus pay their thanks to the gods of cattle and earth. The South Indians celebrate this festival and it always falls on the date of January 14. The length of this festival is four days. Farmers in Tamil Nadu always celebrate Pongal grandly, as it is a very important celebration for them. Throughout the four days, the farmers in Tamil Nadu enjoy joyful celebrations.

Celebrations -

Preparations for this festival start early and the first thing that is always found in Hindu homes before the start of Pongal is the ‘kolam’. This is a form of decoration for the Hindus’ homes. This decorative pattern is made with rice flour & is usually drawn on the floor outside the door. The kolams serve as a symbol of welcoming guests to the entrance of the house. In order to prepare for the festival, old clothes are thrown away before the festival starts. The houses are cleaned and decorated to prepare for Pongal. For the festival, the Hindus buy new clothes and the ladies of the households would prepare sweetmeats. There is also a belief in the Hindus that the harvest festival will bring great wealth and goodness to their homes. During the festival entertaining events like bullfights would also be organized.

The first day is a tribute to the God of Rain and it is known as ‘Bogi’ festival. This day falls before Pongal on the 13th of January. On this day, Hindus will burn rubbish & unwanted items from their houses. The Hindus feel that this practice of burning rubbish in fire is like getting rid of the bad and evil from their houses.

The second day is known as ‘Pongal’ the most important day of the entire festival, where prayers are offered to the Sun. On this day, the Sun is given great importance. On the morning of this day, the family will gather outside their houses and cook ‘pongal’ in clay pots. When the rice inside the pot overflows, the people will cry out ‘Pongal O Pongal’ and pray to the Sun. The overflow of rice symbolizes a prosperous farming season for them. On this auspicious day, people will visit each other and dine. Sweets are also cooked in the Hindus homes for the guests.

The third day is known as ‘maathu pongal’ where the people offer their thanks to their cattle, especially to the cows. Cows are decorated with bells hanging around their necks and served milk and food. If you are a tourist who visits Tamil Nadu around this festive period, you will find it an unusual sight to see cows being lavished with flower garlands and bells. On this day, farmers would also proudly parade their cows in the village after feeding them.

The last and fourth day of the celebrations is known as the ‘Thiruvalluvar Day’. This day is a tribute to Thiruvalluvar, a great poet who had given a remarkable contribution to the Tamil Literature.

Overall, Pongal is a popular and important festival for all farmers in Tamil Nadu