Ungal Ellorokkum Pongal Nalvaazhthakkal! Pongaloh Pongal! (Happy Pongal to all of You!)

[mcgillianaire]

Today is the most important day in the Tamil calendar: it's Thai Pongal, or just Pongal (lit: boils over or spillover) as it is more commonly referred to. The harvest day festival is our version of thanksgiving and is being celebrated by more than 70 million Tamils worldwide.

But not everybody can celebrate it in traditional ishtyle (Link 2)


I forgot to mention that Monday was Pongal, the Tamil harvest festival. It is arguably the most important date in the calendar for us and it is also an important time for other Indians. The Kannadigas & Telugu celebrate Sankaranti, Marathis celebrate Makar Sankaranti, Gujaratis celebrate Uttarayan (a kite-flying festival) and the Punjoos celebrate Lohri.

Pongal literally translates to 'boiling over' in Tamil and is a celebration of the prosperity associated with the end of the harvest season. The festival is celebrated for four days from the last day of the Tamil month Maargazhi (Dec/Jan) to the third day of Thai (Jan/Feb). (Tamil Calendar)

The 1st day, Bhogi, is celebrated by throwing away & destroying old clothes by setting them on fire to mark the end of the old season. The 2nd day, Pongal, is celebrated by boiling rice with fresh milk and jaggery early in the morning and allowing it to boil over the vessel. This is how the name Pongal is derived and let me tell you, this is one of the tastiest dishes ever conceived by humankind! The moment the rice boils over and bubbles out of the vessel, it is offered to the chief Hindu solar deity Surya, a gesture which symbolises thanksgiving to the sun for providing prosperity. People also prepare savories and sweets, visit each others' homes, and exchange greetings.

The 3rd day, Maattu Pongal (literally 'Cattle Pongal'), offers thanks to cattle as they provide milk and are used to plough the land. Jallikattu, a 'taming the wild bull' contest, is the main event of the day. During the final day, Kaanum Pongal — kaanum means 'to view' — people, especially storekeepers, visit beaches & theme parks. During the Pongal season, people also chew sugar cane & decorate their houses with kolam. Schools & offices are closed for the entire week.

The astronomical significance of the festival is that it marks the beginning of Uttaraayana, the Sun's movement northward for a six month period. In Hinduism, Uttarayana is considered auspicious, as opposed to Dakshinaayana, or the southern movement of the sun. All important events are scheduled during this period, particularly weddings.




Sugarcane branches are used as decoration for the prayer-offering set up



The traditional plates used in southern India are banana leaves upon which you can find the items used for the prayer, incl. coconut shells, bananas and the Pongal dish itself (yellow thing in the bottom-center of the leaf). The patterns on the ground are the kolam.

Original Link

Comments

[swimanubis.livejournal.com]

Happy Pongal!

[mcgillianaire.livejournal.com]

Aww, thanks mate!! :)

Btw, hooka has been ordered. Only your holiness awaits.