While the country is struggling with the coronavirus pandemic situation, it has become difficult for many people out there to celebrate festivals as they used to in earlier times. The festival of Pongal is a four-day harvest festival observed in South India, especially Tamil Nadu. It is celebrated with amazing zeal from 14-17 January every year. This year, the festival will mark the start of Uttarayan, which is the sun’s journey from moving towards the north and the end of the winter season.
President greets people on Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Bihu
Pongal is usually celebrated around the same time when other harvest festivals of India such as Lohri, Magh Bihu, and Makar Sankranti are observed. The celebrations start on the first day with Bhogi Pongal is a fresh harvest of rice, turmeric, sugarcane are brought by people from the fields. Usually, in the festival, old and used-up domestic articles are removed and burnt along with cow dungs as part of the ritual of Bhogi Mantalu. It is a symbol of a new start to the year by letting the past thinking go and adopting a new approach in life.
Northeast Festival: Filling in the gaps
The second day of the Pongal festival is also called Surya Pongal or Thai Pongal. It is in admiration to the Sun God and is also the first day of the Tamil month Thai. On this day, people wake up in the early morning and clean their homes. They also decorate their home with amazing kolam designs. On this day, the harvested rice is fresh and thus, it is boiled in pots along with jaggery and milk till it is overflowed. The celebration grasps the importance of the word Pongal which means to boil or overflow.
The Sun God or Surya dev is given Pongal before it is given to the family members on banana leaves. Pongal’s third day is known as Mattu Pongal in which Lord Ganesha and Goddess Parvati are prayed and Pongal is offered to them. Mattu means bull and thus, on this day, cattle are given bathing, their horns are painted and they are even dressed in beautiful metal caps. The bull is also put up with flower garlands and bells.
The last and fourth day of Pongal is known as Kaanum Pongal, which is a very special day to begin new relationships and bonds.
