Happy Pongal to all
friends !
Pongal is the Harvest
festival of India. It coincides with Mahara Shankaranti, Uttarayana Punya Kalm
etc. This festival is basically celebrated as a Thanks Giving festival for Sun
God as he is the sole provider of energy and prime importance for bountiful
crops.
Pongal is celebrated
for three days. First day is called Bhogi in Tamil, Telugu and Kanada. In North
India it is celebrated as Lohri. Lohri is celebrated in the evening on a full
moon day, with camp fire lit in front of house and people indulge in eating
ground nuts, peanut candy, sesame candy etc. Jokes are told and pun songs are
sung and people make merry !
In South India Bhogi
is celebrated in the morning all unwanted items are thrown out giving room for
new things to usher in. New crops, new vision, new hope and aspiration! Camp
fire lit in the front yard and people play special drums. Fortune tellers come
around houses with decorated cows or bulls asking for alms.
Modern day
manifestation is on account of so much air pollution even aircrafts find it
difficult to land in air ports due to poor visibility. Therefore people are
advised not to lit fire and create nuisance.
For Tamils Pongal is
ushering in new month known as Thai. The month preceding Thai is known as Margazhi
and considered to be in auspicious for beginning any new activity like looking
for marriage alliance etc. During the month of Margazhi girls decorate their
front yards with special Rangoli and chant special prayers seeking for good
alliance.
On Pongal day in new earthen
pot decorated with fresh bunch of Turmeric plant and Ginger plant people boil
milk and then cook Chakkra Pongal ( Sweetened Rice) and offer the same to Sun
God. Sugar Cane etc. are kept by the side as a decoration and symbolizing sweet
life ahead.
It is customary for people
to buy new dresses, white wash the houses before Pongal. Brothers visit their
sisters and share with them fresh harvest and its proceeds like rice, sugar
cane, jaggery etc. Sisters on the day after Pongal worship Sun God and pray
that their brothers should live happily.
The day after Pongal
is celebrated as Kannum Pongal & Mattu Pongal. Kannum Pongal is to visit
friends, relatives, elders and seek their blessings. Mattu Pongal is to offer
thanks to cattle and other farm animals who took active part in the working of
that year in the farm. Special food cooked to cater to their needs and fed.
Farming must have
gone fully mechanized. Farm animals must have been replaced. Many farm lands
must have changed hands, shape and become skyscrapers. But the euphoria and
enthusiasm behind Pongal remains same all these years !!
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