What is Pongal?

Pongal is the only festival of Hindu that follows a solar calendar and is celebrated on the fourteenth of January every year. Pongal has astronomical significance: it marks the beginning of Uttarayana, 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. Makara Sankranthi refers to the event of the Sun entering the zodiac sign of Makara or Capricorn.

In Hindu temples bells, drums, clarinets and conch shells herald the joyous occasion of Pongal. To symbolize a bountiful harvest, rice is cooked in new pots until they boil over. Some of the rituals performed in the temple include the preparation of rice, the chanting of prayers and the offering of vegetables, sugar cane and spices to the gods. Devotees then consume the offerings to exonerate themselves of past sins.

Pongal Festival

Pongal is a four-days-long harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu, a southern state of India. For as long as people have been planting and gathering food, there has been some form of harvest festival. Pongal, one of the most important popular Hindu festivals of the year. This four-day festival of thanksgiving to nature takes its name from the Tamil word meaning “to boil” and is held in the month of Thai (January-February) during the season when rice and other cereals, sugar-cane, and turmeric (an essential ingredient in Tamil cooking) are harvested.

Mid-January is an important time in the Tamil calendar. The harvest festival, Pongal, falls typically on the 14th or the 15th of January and is the quintessential ‘Tamil Festival’. Pongal is a harvest festival, a traditional occasion for giving thanks to nature, for celebrating the life cycles that give us grain. Tamilians say ‘Thai pirandhaal vazhi pirakkum’, and believe that knotty family problems will be solved with the advent of the Tamil month Thai that begins on Pongal day. This is traditionally the month of weddings. This is not a surprise in a largely agricultural community - the riches gained from a good harvest form the economic basis for expensive family occasions like weddings.

The First Day

This first day is celebrated as Bhogi festival in honor of Lord Indra, the supreme ruler of clouds that give rains. Homage is paid to Lord Indra for the abundance of harvest, thereby bringing plenty and prosperity to the land.

The Second Day

On the second day of Pongal, the puja or act of ceremonial worship is performed when rice is boiled in milk outdoors in a earthenware pot and is then symbolically offered to the sun-god along with other oblations. All people wear traditional dress and markings, and their is an interesting ritual where husband and wife dispose off elegant ritual utensils specially used for the puja.

The Third Day

The third day is known as Mattu Pongal, the day of Pongal for cows. Multi-colored beads, tinkling bells, sheaves of corn and flower garlands are tied around the neck of the cattle and then are worshiped. They are fed with Pongal and taken to the village centers. The resounding of their bells attract the villagers as the young men race each other’s cattle. The entire atmosphere becomes festive and full of fun and revelry. Arati is performed on them, so as to ward off the evil eye.

The Fourth Day

The Fourth day is known as Knau or Kannum Pongal day. On this day, a turmeric leaf is washed and is then placed on the ground. On this leaf are placed, the left overs of sweet Pongal and Venn Pongal, ordinary rice as well as rice colored red and yellow, betel leaves, betel nuts, two pieces of sugarcane, turmeric leaves, and plantains. In Tamil Nadu women perform this ritual before bathing in the morning.

When is Pongal?

Celebrate Pongal on January 15, 2009, Thursday

History of Pongal

Pongal is an ancient festival of people in South India particularly Tamils. The history of the festival can be traced back to the Sangam Age i.e. 200 B.C. To 300 A.D. Although, Pongal originated as a Dravidian Harvest festival and has a mention in Sanskrit Puranas, historians identify the festival with the Thai Un and Thai Niradal, which are believed to have been celebrated during the Sangam Age.

Tamil Pongal

Pongal is to Tamils what Durga Puja is to Bengal, Baisakhi to Punjab, Bihu to Assam, Ugadi to Andhra, Makar Sankranti to Karnataka and other States and Onam to Kerala.

Tamil Pongal 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.

A Tamil saying goes on that “Thai Piranthal Vali Pirakkum” meaning that when the month of Thai dawns there will be way of love, peace, harmony, prosperity, joyness in everyone’s life. The month of Thai (starting on January 14 or 15) 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.

Pongal is the embodiment of Tamil culture. It is during Pongal that the best in the nature and the skills of the people are brought out. Therefore, it is no wonder that people celebrate Pongal to show their gratitude to Mother Nature for blessing them with normal rainfall. Hundreds of temples all over Tamil Nadu arrange for ‘Sama Bandhi Virundu’ (community feasts) in which people from all castes and religions participate.

The valor of the Tamils is best illustrated in events like ‘Jallikattu’ or ‘Manjuvirattu’ in which the youth who control the fearsome bulls are honored and given prizes. Their nature of respecting the elderly and the near and dear ones is revealed on the day of Kaanum Pongal when people visit their elders to pay their obeisance. Skills of womenfolk are clearly manifest during the festival when they decorate the courtyard of their houses with Rangoli and prepare delicacies like ‘Sarkarai Pongal’ for the Pongal feast.

How to Make Pongal

On the day of Pongal, sweet rice known as ‘Pongal’ is cooked in a new earthenware pot which is placed where the puja is to be performed. Fresh turmeric and ginger are tied around this pot. Then a delicious concoction of rice, moong dal, jaggery and milk is boiled in the pot on an open fire. According to the ritual, this Pongal rice is allowed to boil and spill over. Once the rice is cooked, it is tempered with cashew nuts and raisins fried in ghee. When the Pongal dish is ready, it is offered to the sun god on a new banana leaf along with other traditional delicacies, like vadas, payasam, etc. Some people go to their plots of land to spray some of the Pongal water on their fields.

Ingredients


» 1 cup Rice
» 1/4 cup Moong dal
» /2- 1 tsp jeera
» 1/2-1 tsp peppercorns
» 1/2 tsp pepper powdered fresh
» A few Cashewnuts broken
» 1/2 cup dessicated Coconut
» A pinch of Turmeric powder
» Ghee

Method
1. Fry the Moongdal a little till you get a light flavour.
2. Mix the dal with the rice, add 2 -3 cups of water (the rice should cook very very soft)
3. Add turmeric powder, coconut, a few peppercorns and a 1-2 tsp of ghee to the rice and pressure cook till done.
4. When done, take a kadai add sufficient of Ghee to it, more the ghee better it tastes, add jeera, pepper corns and cashewnuts.
5. Add the cooked rice mixture, add pepper powder, salt and mix well with the ghee and jeera/cashewnuts.

The pongal is ready!!!