With its significance resembling that of an American Thanksgiving, Pongal is a four-day harvest festival celebrated by Tamil people all around the world on the first day of Thai (the 10th Tamil month). This specific timeframe is chosen as the beginning of Thai marks the end of the monsoon season, where crops are then harvested by farmers. Pongal falls around January 14 on the Gregorian calendar.
Pongal is typically celebrated in homes and temples to show gratitude for the sun, animals, and farmers that work hard to produce crops. This is a meaningful holiday for South Asian people celebrated across the span of four days, namely Bhogi Pongal, Thai Pongal, Mattu Pongal, and Kaanum Pongal. Each day of the Pongal celebration has certain traditions that are significant to the Tamil culture.
Bhogi Pongal
Bhogi Pongal is celebrated on the last day of the Tamil month Margazhi. On this day, families discard items that are no longer needed and buy new items. These old items are then burned in a bonfire, often lit before dawn. Examples of such items include cooking utensils, clothes, old newspapers, and so on. The significance of burning worn items from the household is to create a sense of purity. Apart from external cleansing of the homes, individuals cleanse the body and soul by hanging betel leaves attached on a string at their doorstep, as these leaves serve as an antiseptic while also warding off negativity from evil spirits. Moreover, the neighborhood is brought to life as houses and clay pots (which will be used the next day to make the sweetened rice dish Pongal) are painted in various colors. Everyone wears new clothes to celebrate the first day of the festival as they pray to the Hindu God of Rain, Indra, for an abundance of rain for yet another successful agricultural year.
Thai Pongal
Thai Pongal is the main festival among the four days, as it is a day dedicated to the Sun God, Surya. The celebration occurs in the early hours of the day, so families rise before dawn and shower before preparing the Pongal. Families dress in new clothing as they prepare their painted clay pot over a firewood stove outside their homes. On Wikipedia, it states “The festival is named after the ceremonial "Pongal", which means "to boil, overflow." As the article mentions, Pongal derives its name from the Tamil word “pongu” due to the overflowing of milk when making the sweetened rice dish under the same name. As the milk overflows, everyone shouts out “Pongalo Pongal!” to denote overflowing abundance, prosperity, and good fortune for everyone in the upcoming year. Rice is a significant part of a South Asian’s daily meal, hence on Thai Pongal, Tamils prepare a sweetened dish using the rice the farmers harvested (along with other crops like milk from cows and sugarcane) to show their gratitude towards Surya and Indra for giving an abundance of sunshine and rain, thus praying for another year of a plentiful harvest. After preparing the Pongal dish, we offer generous heaps of this rice dish to Hindu Gods and Goddesses on a banana leaf surrounded by various other fruits. After praying and doing pooja, a worship ritual, we share the Pongal among family and friends.
Mattu Pongal
“Mattu” is the Tamil word for cattle, referencing how the third day of Pongal festivities is dedicated to them. Cattle play a large role in agriculture, especially in South Asia. Cattle is a general term for cows (female) and bulls (males). Cattle not only provides dairy products but also assists in transportation and agricultural labor. The reverence Tamil people have towards cattle serves as one of the reasons why Hindu Tamils refuse to eat beef, as it is considered a sacred animal. On this day, farmers bathe their cattle and decorate them with flower garlands and various colored powders on their bodies and horns. At times, farmers do not make Pongal on Thai Pongal and instead make it on Mattu Pongal, as it is a day more relevant to their lifestyle. Similar to Thai Pongal, farmers offer the scoop of Pongal to Hindu Gods and Goddesses, praying for an abundant yield of crops in the upcoming year.
Kaanum Pongal
“Kaanum,” when applied in this context, is the Tamil word that means “to go visit.” On this last day of the Pongal, celebrations wind down by visiting family and friends at their houses. Kaanum Pongal is typically a day of merriment and relaxation. With the end of Kanum Pongal, all Pongal festivities come to an end.
Why is it important to continue celebrating Pongal?
Amongst this technologically advancing world, farmers and agriculture remain an important part of society as they work hard to produce the food. Pongal is a festival dedicated not only to those farmers, but also the cattle that help with the physical labor and God that offers an abundance of blessings for a successful harvest of crops. Generation after generation, agriculture continues to remain an integral part of society, providing food for people around the world. The four days of the Pongal festival allows Tamil people to prevent taking food for granted, taking a moment to share our thanks to the people who feed us.
Written by Shakthika Thevarajah
Comments