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Pongal
Contents
- Overview
- [+] Quick Facts
- Legends/History
- Traditions And Celebrations
- [+] Festival Fun
- Other Information
- [+] SMS & Greetings
[ Edit ] Overview
Given the substantial agrarian population in India, harvest festivals are naturally an integral part of society. Pongal is a Tamil harvest festival and is spread over 4 days. The festival is celebrated in the month of ‘Thai’ (January - February) when rice and other cereals, sugar-cane and turmeric are harvested. Pongal means "to boil" in Tamil.
Pongal is one of the few Hindu festivals that follows the solar calendar and typically falls on the 14th or the 15th of January. The festival has immense astronomical significance as it marks the beginning of Uttarayana period when the Sun moves north for a period of 6 months. This period is considered to be very auspicious and is also the time when many important events like weddings are planned to take place.
In Hindu temples bells, drums, clarinets and conch shells are used to bring in the festival. Pongal signals the end of the traditional farming season and gives farmers a break from their monotonous routine of work. Even though Pongal was originally a festival for the farming community, today it is celebrated by all Tamils with great enthusiasm.
Quick Facts
[ Edit ] When
Pongal is celebrated every year on January 14 or 15th.
[ Edit ] Duration
4 days
[ Edit ] Where
Tamil Nadu, India
[ Edit ] Also Known As
[ Edit ] Dedicated To
Given that Pongal is a Harvest Festival, it is not dedicated to any particular god.
[ Edit ] Significance
Pongal signifies the end of winter and the onset of spring each year.
[ Edit ] Legends/History
Pongal, mentioned in the Sanskrit Puranas, and can be traced back to the Sangam Age (200 B.C.- 300 A.D.). Pongal, as all Indian festivals, have interesting legends attached to it.
Legend of Mount Govardhan
The first day of Pongal is called ‘Bhogi Pongal’ and is dedicated to Lord Indra, the God of clouds and rains, who was also the King of the deities. Lord Indra was a proud and arrogant king and thought of himself as the most powerful. Lord Krishna was a child when he came to know of Lord Indra's pride and decided to teach him a lesson. He persuaded the members of his village to worship Mount Govardhan instead of Indra, as it was Mount Govandhan that gave them fodder for their cattle. This act enraged Indra who decided to punish the villagers by sending thunderstorms, rain and lightning to drown the cattle and the people. But Krishna came to their rescue and lifted the entire mountain on his little finger to protect the village from Indra's wrath. Lord Krishna stood holding the mountain up for 3 days and nights by which time Indra realized his mistake and begged for forgiveness. Since then Krishna allowed the 1st day of Pongal, Bhogi Pongal, to be celebrated in honor of Lord Indra.
Legend of Lord Shiva
The 3rd day of Pongal is called ‘Mattu Pongal’ and is associated with a legend of Lord Shiva and his bull, Nandi. Lord Shiva sent his bull, Nandi, to earth with a message for the people to take an oil bath every day and eat food once a month, but a sleepy Nandi was not paying attention and he delivered the opposite message and told the people to bathe once a month and eat daily. A furious Shiva blamed him for the shortage of food grains on earth and ordered him to remain on Earth to help humans plough the fields. ‘Mattu Pongal’ is also called Kanu Pongal.
[ Edit ] Traditions And Celebrations
Pongal is one of the longest celebrations in the Tamil calendar and is celebrated for 4 days. Each day has its own significance and is marked by different rituals and celebrations. The festival is steeped in the age-old belief that the month of `Thai' will usher in good fortunes. Being an agrarian society the festival celebrates the end of the harvesting season as the beginning of prosperity.
Bhogi Pongal (the 1st Day)
Also known as ‘Indran’ the 1st day is dedicated to Lord Indra, the God of Clouds and Rains, who is worshipped for prosperity and abundant harvest. It is a day for family gatherings, homes are cleaned, scrubbed and polished to shine like new. The old and unwanted household items are collected the previous night and burnt in a bonfire made of wood and cow dung. The floors are then beautified with ‘Kolam’, which are designs drawn with a paste of newly harvested rice with outlines drawn of red mud. Pumpkin flowers set in cowdung balls are placed in the middle. Farmers worship the earth and the sun by smearing sandalwood paste on their ploughs and sickles which are then used to cut the newly harvested rice.
Surya Pongal (the 2nd Day)
'Surya Pongal' as the name suggests, is dedicated to the Sun God. Pongal is a rural, agrarian festival that celebrates the harvests, and thus the sun is a vital part of the celebrations. This is the main day of the celebrations, which is also the first day of the Tamil month of Thai. The image of the Sun God is drawn on a plank which is then decorated with Kolam designs, made of a paste of newly harvested rice with outlines in red mud. He is then offered boiled milk and jaggery and a puja is performed. The granaries are kept full, and since the word 'Ponga' means 'to boil' which symbolically represents whats plentiful, a special dish called 'Sakkarai Pongal' is cooked on this day in a brand new mud-pot called 'Pongapani' and is decorated with flowers, sugarcane pieces, turmeric plant and is then offered to Sun God. Very often in the villages, people gather together in the courtyard and prepare the Pongal in the open.
One of the key rituals during the Surya Pongal day is the boilng of rice out of a vessel - as it is thought to announce good tidings and fortune for the year ahead. The moment the rice boils over, the the tradition is to shout of "Ponggalo Pongal".
Mattu Pongal (the 3rd Day)
The 3rd day is dedicated to cattle and other farm animals. On Maatu Pongal the cattle are given a well deserved break from work and farmers honor and thank them. They are bathed, their horns are painted, and they are decorated with multi-coloured beads, metal caps, tinkling bells and flower garlands which are tied around their necks. After grooming the cattle they are then fed with Pongal, while devotees pay their respect to the cows.
Cattle races are conducted and in the game called 'Manji Virattu' groups of young men chase running bulls. Bull fights called 'Jallikattu' are also organised in Madurai, Tiruchirapalli and Tanjavur where a bunch of rupees is tied to the horns of ferocious bulls and young men try to get it back.
Kaanum Pongal / Thiruvalluvar (the 4th Day)
The 4th day of Pongal is a day for family reunions. On this day the younger members pay homage to their elders who then give them token money to thank and bless them. Many leave food out on banana leaves for birds to eat.
Women of the house offer prayers for the well being of their brothers. As per the ritual, they assemble in the courtyard and rice is placed in the center of the leaf, and the women pray that the family of their brothers should always prosper. A puja is performed for the brothers with turmeric water, limestone and rice, and this water is then sprinkled on the ‘kolam’ designs in front of the house and the ceremonies end with a big Pongal feast.
Festivities
People meet up with their relatives and friends and visit temples to invoke the blessings of the Gods for a good and prosperous beginning to the following year.
The traditional sport of `Jallikattu' (bull-fight) is also held during Pongal. Bags full of money are tied to the horns of the ferocious bulls and young men try to get it back.
Pongal in Tamil Nadu
Pongal in Tamil Nadu is mostly a rural and an agrarian festival that marks the withdrawal of the southeast monsoons and the reaping of the harvest. It is the biggest harvest festival and is spread over four days. The Sun is the central part of the celebrations.
In Chennai, a rath yatra procession is taken out from the Kandaswamy Temple. In Madurai, Tanjore and Tiruchirrapalli, bull fights are organized, as bundles of money are tied to the horns of bulls and villagers try and retrieve them. Community meals made from the freshly gathered harvest are enjoyed by the entire village together.
Pongal in Andhra Pradesh
In Andhra Pradesh on Bhogi Pongal day, a bonfire is lit up with waste in the early hours of the morning after which a traditional bath is undertaken. Apart from Pongali (rice pudding with milk), special dishes, like ariselu (sweet rice cakes), are also prepared. On Kanumu day animals are decorated and races are held. King Mahabali, mythological king and Godadevi (Goddess Goda) are worshiped during the festival.
Pongal in Karnataka
In Karnataka, Pongal is called 'Sankranti', and cows and bullocks given a special place, they are brightly decorated and fed 'Pongal'- a preparation of rice pudding with milk and in the evening, the decked and well fed cattle are led out in procession to the beat of drums . Special prayers are offered in the temples and houses.
Men, women and children all wear new and colorful clothing, visit friends and family, exchange pieces of sugarcane, pieces of dry coconut, peanuts and fried gram and wish each other.
Festival Fun
[ Edit ] Food / Recipes
There are numerous dishes associated with Pongal including with several regional variations.
Sakkarai (Sugar) Pongal
Ingredients: Rice, Moongdal, Gram Dal, Water, Jaggery, Cashew nuts, Raisins, Coconut (grated), Ghee.
Preparation: Pressure cook rice, moongdal, gram dal in the ratio 2 : 2 : 1. Dissolve jaggery (amount should be 2/3 of cooked mixture) and dissolve in little water and heat it separately and then add the liquid to the cooked mixture. Roast cashew nuts, raisins, grated coconut in ghee and add this to the mixture and stir well. Add some extra ghee while serving. Enjoy Sakkarai Pongal!!!
Ven Pongal
Ingredients: 1 cup rice; 1 cup moong dal; 6 cups water; 3-5 Green Chillies; ¼ inch Ginger; 2 tsp. Ghee
1 tsp. Whole black pepper; 1 tsp. Cumin seeds; Turmeric powder; 10 - 12 Cashew nuts; Curry leaves
Preparation: Cut green chillies and ginger into fine pieces. Boil rice and moong dal in water until well cooked. Take ghee in a frying pan and whole black peppers, and cumin seeds. When the peppers burst add chillies, ginger pieces and a pinch of turmeric powder. Add cashew nuts and remove the pan when the cashews are roasted and begin to let out a fragrant aroma. Add this to cooked dal-rice mix. Add salt to taste, curry leaves, and mix well. Add some ghee while serving. Enjoy Ven Pongal!!
[ Edit ] Music / Dance
[ Edit ] Gift Tradition
[ Edit ] Others
[ Edit ] Other Information
Pongal, as celebrated in Tamil Nadu and other southern Indian states, is just one of many Harvest Festivals celebrated in India.
Others include:
- Bihu (or Magh Bihu): Assam
- Lohri: North India, especially in Punjab
- Nabanna: West Bengal and Bangladesh
- Onam: Kerala (India) and parts of Tamil Nadu
- Sankranti (or Makara Sankranti): Celebrated in several regions of India including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh
- Vaisakhi (or Baisakhi): Punjab other parts of North India
SMS & Greetings
[ Edit ] SMS Wishes
[ Edit ] Greetings
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