Introduction
Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated specially in Tamil Nadu for four days with great prosperity and joy. Pongal festival falls when the north-east monsoon winds cease in South India after the crops are harvested. The most important part of the Pongal festival is the eating of freshly cooked rice from the newly cultivated land.
Every month during the holy month, some festivals are celebrated, and the people are celebrated with full of joy, love, and culture. The life of a busy man is full of pain, physical hardship, mental anguish, and financial hardship , So cultural and traditional festivals bring some peace, relief from hard work, happiness and prosperity.
Festivals are created for the establishment of brotherhood, to free people from anxiety, to cure them and to immerse them in divine joy. Among these festivals are agricultural, nature worship, seasonal, national commemoration, health, hunting reform, civic, and charity.
Pongal is the Harvest festival of Tamil Nadu. Pongal festival Celebrated for four days with tradition and culture, Pongal festival also marks the beginning of the Tamil month called Thai and it is also known as Thai Pongal. It is usually celebrated or falls on the 14th or 15th and middle of January each year.
Pongal 2023 in India celebration will begin on 15 January, Sunday and ends on 18 January, Wednesday. In other parts of India this harvesting festival is celebrated as Makar Sankranti (Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar), Uttarayan, Magh Bihu, Lohri (Punjab), Kicheri (Uttar Pradesh) Maghi, Maghe Sankranti, Bhogali Bihu (Assam) and Shakrain.
Tamil Community people Celebrated the festival of Pongal for four days in india. This festival is celebrated in India not only in Tamil Nadu but also in Karnataka, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh,Telangana and Puducherry in India (south India). It is celebrated by all Tamil Community who are present world wide like Srilanka, South Africa, Mauritius, United States (US), Canada, United Kingdom (UK), Singapore etc.
Origin of the Pongal Festival
Pongal means ‘to boil overflow’ or “to boil over”. Probably, the name of the festival is Pongal because the rice is boiled in milk and goes up. Pongal is arrived from the Tamil word Pongu. During the Pongal festival, all the houses are thoroughly cleaned. Women make different kinds of colorful beautiful rangoli (cheetah), on top of the rangoli a yellow flower is placed along with a lamp.
According to the festival, during this festive season of Pongal, unmarried girls prayed for the agricultural development and prosperity of the country, and they kept penance during the festive season and Tamil month of Margazhi. They are strictly avoided from eating milk products, don’t oil their hair and they bathe in the early morning as part of the ritual of penance of the month Tamil Margazhi Month.
Significance of the festival
This festival is celebrated as the Harvest festival for the purpose of thanking Lord Sun (Surya) and Lord Indra for the agricultural support and harvest of the season. This festival is also celebrated for farm animals and nature who support agricultural work. The Four days of the Pongal festival are celebrated with prosperity and joy called Bhogi Pongal, Surya Pongal and Maattu and Kaanum Pongal.
Bhogi Pongal
The first day of the Pongal festival is celebrated as Bhogi Pongal. According to the Tamil people it is the last date of the Tamil month Margazhi. On this festival people clean their home and decorate their home according to the Pongal rituals. On the home courtyard people draw a rangoli of colours, flowers and also decorate the front of the house with marigold flowers and mango leaves.
On the occasion of Bhogi Pongal people burn a fire in order to burn all old old things like old clothes, agriculture & home waste. People believe that it discards old things and creates a new beginning. Women are wearing new clothes and chanting mantras & ritual songs around the burn fire. This ritual is known as the “Bhogi Mantalu”. On this day farmers collect the new harvest crops,fruits, sugar cane and flowers of the season for next day’s Pongal celebration.This ritual is known as the Bhogi Pallu.
Surya / Thai Pongal
On the second day Pongal is celebrated as ‘Surya Pongal‘. This festival is celebrated or dedicated to worship Lord Sun. This festival is also called as “Surayan Pongal”, “Thai Pongal”, & “Perum Pongal” etc. It is the first day of Tamil month Margazhi after Bhogi Pongal celebration. This day is celebrated by family and relatives by preparing Pongal dishes with fresh harvested paddy crops, vegetables and fruits. One day before Surya Pongal the crops and vegetables are collected from the agricultural field.
“Pongal’ is cooked in a new earthen pot under the sun, early in the morning just after sunrise. The best of rice from the new harvest of the season is earmarked for this Pongal dish preparation. Pongal dishes include Rice, milk, ghee, jaggery (raw sugar), raisins and dry fruits. ‘Pongal’ is made by putting ghee, jaggery and new grain rice and vegetable at a time in an earthen pot.
When the milk & rice boils and overflows, people shout ‘Pongalo Pongal’. People believed that this slogan brought prosperity into the family and household. After the dish was prepared it was first offered to the Lord Surya bhagwan (Sun) on banana leaves and then it was offered to cattle or cow. After this it is distributed to all family members and relatives with joy and prosperity.
Mattu Pongal
On the third day, “Mattu Pongal” is celebrated. This festival is dedicated to the cattle, cow or bull (mattu) who are supporting agricultural work. Cattle are decorated on this day by flowers, kumkum, turmeric powder on their forehead and painted their horns with colours. Cattle and bulls (Mattu) are worshipped by giving bananas, jaggery, honey,fruits and special meals.
On Mattu Pongal a traditional ritual is performed by women and young girls called “Kanu Pidi”. They place a leaf of turmeric plant outside their house, and feed the leftover pongal dishes from Surya Pongal to the crow. These rituals are observed by young girls and women for their brothers’ well being and future. And it is also similar to Bhaiya dooj celebrated in north India.
Kaanum Pongal
Many families and relatives reunite on these occasions. Families organise social events to strengthen mutual bonds and relations. Relatives, friends, family and neighbors visit their relatives to celebrate kaanum Pongal.
Generally young children of the family go out to meet seniors among the relatives and neighbours to pay respects and seek blessings. Some elders or relatives give the visiting children some gift and money.
Lessons of the Festival
There are many lessons learned from the celebration of Pongal. The worship of cows reflects the importance of Godhan. Lord Krishna used to take care of cows and cattle. It is clear from this that God is nurturing and caring for all living beings. Pongal is the festival which strengthens the relationship between family and relatives. Pongal provides lessons about agriculture importance, animal importance and family importance to the society. Pongal teaches us to forgive the old things and look for new things.
Conclusion
The pongal festival marks a period of joy, peace, prosperity and happiness. The Four days Pongal festival marks a special religious significance. Pongal is the only festival of Hindu that follows a solar calendar. People worship Lord sun,Lord Indra, nature, earth and cattle who play a major role or support in good harvesting and growth of crops.
FAQs
What are the 4 days of Pongal 2023?
The Four days of the Pongal festival are celebrated with prosperity and joy called Bhogi Pongal, Surya Pongal and Maattu and Kaanum Pongal.
Pongal 2023 in India celebrated on which date?
Pongal 2023 in India celebration will begin on 15 January, Sunday and ends on 18 January, Wednesday.
What is the fourth day of Pongal festival?
On the fourth day Pongal festival is celebrated as “Kaanum Pongal”, and it is also called the Kanu Pongal. The fourth day of the Pongal festival marks the end of the Pongal festivals for the season. The word kanum (kaanum) means “to visit.”
What is Bhogi Pongal?
The first day of the Pongal festival is celebrated as Bhogi Pongal. According to the Tamil people it is the last date of the Tamil month Margazhi.
What is the meaning Of Pongal?
Pongal means ‘to boil overflow’ or “to boil over”. Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated specially in Tamil Nadu for four days with great prosperity and joy.
