Pongal | How to Celebrate Pongal | Significance of Pongal Festival

Pongal is one of India’s grand fairs and a harvest festival which is primarily celebrated in Tamil Nadu. Why we have fun Pongal festival is Pongal is thanksgiving to Nature. The pageant is traditionally referred to as Thai Pongal. ‘Thai’ means ‘10th’ (tenth month) and ‘Pongal’ means ‘to boil’. The competition is widely known within the month of Thai (January-February) at some stage in the time when rice and cereals consisting of sugar-cane, and turmeric are harvested via the farmers.

Mid-January (14th to 17th) is seemed because the most essential time is by using the Tamilians. This harvest festival falls usually on the 14th or the 15th of January and is basically known as ‘Tamil Festival'. Locals in the state say 'Thai pirandhaal vazhi pirakkum' that means ‘the dawn of the month of Thai will pave the way for new opportunities’. It approaches it's miles the time while one needs to forget about beyond issues and believe that a circle of relatives problems could be solved. Pongal month is customarily seen as the month of weddings.

Importance and Significance of Pongal Harvest Festival

Day 1: The first day of Pongal is big as on this day Lord Indra is worshipped. It is referred to as Bhogi festival. The Vedas describe Lord Indira as the thunder god who brings forth rains. Indra has been worshipped for cowherds for the abundance of harvest. Water (rains) is the symbol of lifestyles. Therefore bringing lots of water to the land approaches prosperity to the farming groups. An thrilling occasion that takes place on the primary day is dismissal of unusable household items. Householders provide the unusable articles into the bonfires. The bonfire is of wood and cow-dung desserts. Young women dance across the bonfire, making songs praising the gods mainly Indra, the spring and the harvest.

Day 2: The 2nd day witnesses the overall performance of a puja that involves boiling of rice in milk outside in an earthenware pot supplied to Surya, the sun-god along with different oblations. Traditional clothes and colorations are the special functions on this day. In the village, a turmeric plant is tied across the pot wherein the rice grains are boiled. It includes the two sticks of sugar-cane in the background and coconut and bananas inside the dish. One famous act to this day is drawing ‘kolam’ (like Rangoli), on the ground outside the domestic. It is traditionally formed in white lime powder.

Day 3: On the 3rd Day of Pongal mattu Pongal forms. It is the day for farm animals (cattles) which are embellished with multi-colored beads, tinkling bells, sheaves of corn and flower garlands. Cattle mainly cows are worshipped on this day. Arati is accomplished on them, so one can keep off the evil eye. The legend behind this ritual is that after Lord Shiva requested Basava the bull to inform the human beings on the planet that they must have oil rubdown and bath each day and have meals once a month. Unintentionally, Basava introduced the opposite; consuming every day and taking oil massage once in a month. Lord Shiva cursed Basava to stay on the earth all the time; ploughing the fields and assisting people produce more food. This day is associated with farm animals.

Day 5: The 5th day of Pongal is known as Knau or Kaanum Pongal day. On this day people wash a turmeric leaf and hold it on the ground. After this, they maintain the leftovers of candy Pongal, normal rice as well as rice (crimson and yellow), betel leaves and nuts, pieces of sugarcane, turmeric leaves and plantain on the turmeric leaf. This rite is finished earlier than morning bath. Women around the leaf ask for wellness in their husbands and families and then perform Arati to their brothers with turmeric water, limestone and rice. Later on water of this combination is sprinkled on the kolam drawn outdoors the residence on the ground.