Pongal (பொங்கல்) is a multi-day Hindu harvest festival of South India, particularly in the Tamil community. It is observed at the beginning of the month Tai according to the Tamil solar calendar, and is usually around January 14.
Pongal, the Tamil festival
According to tradition, the festival marks the end of the winter solstice and the beginning of the sun's six-month journey northward as the sun enters the Makara (Capricorn) zodiac. The festival derives its name from the ceremonial 'Pongal', which means 'boiling, overflowing' and refers to the traditional dish prepared from the new harvest of rice boiled in milk with jaggery (raw sugar).
To mark the festival, the sweet dish pongal is prepared, first offered to the gods and goddesses, sometimes followed by an offering to the cows, and then shared by the family. Festive celebrations include decorating the cows and their horns, ritual bathing and processions. It is traditionally an occasion for decorating kolam art made from rice powder, offering prayers at home, temples, gathering with family and friends and exchanging gifts to renew social bonds of solidarity.
The festival is observed for three or four days in Tamil Nadu, but one or two days in urban areas, especially in the Tamil diaspora community outside South Asia.
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Today and for four days, Tamils celebrate Pongal. The Pongal ceremonial refers to the traditional dish prepared from the new crop of rice boiled in milk with raw sugar. #mythology #myth #legend #14January #calendar #tamil #pongal #inde
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