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Significance of Pongal festival
Posted on: 14/Jan/2017 10:41:32 AM
In Tamil Nadu, the Pongal festival heralds the hope of a new era of prosperity. It signifies the end of the harvest season with plenty of hopes pinned on the entire Tamil month of Thai beginning with the Pongal Day. The month of Thai, starting on January 14, is considered very auspicious. Young people eagerly await Thai, for it promises wedlock for them. Others too, expectantly wait for the arrival of this month for celebrating some other happy occasions.
The Pongal celebrations are spread over four days. The day before Pongal is called Bhogi. It is celebrated as a family festival. On the day of Bhogi, people discard their old things by making a bonfire in front of their houses early in the morning amidst the beating of drums. On the Pongal day, the womenfolk draw Rangoli in front of their homes with the caption Pongalo Pongal. The right fervor of the celebrations can be seen only in the villages.
Newly harvested rice, added with a little milk, is boiled in new mud pots during an auspicious time. Sugarcane is kept by the side of the pots. As soon as the boiling is over, the cooked rice, i.e. Pongal, is offered to the Sun God. Camphor is lighted, coconut is broken and God is invoked to bless the family for a run of good luck. Everyone wears new clothes on that day and exchanges greetings with friends and relatives.
On the third day during Maatu Pongal, the cattle are colorfully decorated with flowers and saffron adorning their foreheads. Their horns painted and they are fed sumptuously. Farmers pray for the good health of the cattle so that the animals can multiply and bring prosperity. On the fourth day, sisters visit their brothers and inquire about their welfare. In one way, it resembles the Raksha Bandhan festival and this day is called as Kaanum Pongal. People also visit their friends on this day.
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