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Pongal
: ( 14 January every year )
Certain
Hindu festivals are associated with the annual cycle of seasons. Pongal
in the South India is celebrated to mark the withdrawal of the southeast
monsoons as well as the reaping of the harvest. It is the biggest
harvest festival, spread over three days.
Pongal
also denotes a sweet preparation made from rice.
Each
of the three days of festivities are marked by different festivities.
The first day, Bhogi Pongal, is a day for the family. Surya Pongal, the
second day, is dedicated to the worship of Surya, the Sun God. Boiled
milk and jaggery is offered to the Sun God, and friends greet each other
asking, "Is it boiled?" The answer: "Yes, it is."
The third day of Pongal, Mattu Pongal, is for worship of the cattle
known as mattu). Cattle are bathed, their horns polished and painted in
bright colours, and garlands of flowers placed around their necks. The
pongal that has been offered to the
Gods
is then given to cattle and birds to eat.
The
advent of Pongal is associated with spring-cleaning and burning of
rubbish,symbolizing the destruction of evil.Decorative designs or
rangolis are traced on floors and on the day of the Pongal, the newly
harvested rice is cooked in homes to acclaim the bounty of the gods.
In
Madras, a rath yatra procession is taken out from the Kandaswamy Temple.
In Madurai, Tanjore and Tiruchirrapalli, where Pongal is known as
Jellikattu, bundles of money are tied to the horns of bulls, and
villagers try and wrest the bundles from them. Community meals are made
from the freshly gathered harvest and enjoyed by the entire village.
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