Celebrated : South India
Also known as : Harvest Festival
Time : January


About Pongal
Pongal is a four day long harvest festival celebrated in the southern part of India. Observed during the month of January, it is a way of thanking nature for the gift of harvest and farming, which is one of the prime occupations of people across India. Harvest festivals have been an important part of the country's festival calendar for as long as people have started organised farming and gathering of food. Pongal, which means 'to boil' in Tamil is one of the most important Hindu festivals.

Pongal is the only Hindu festival which is celebrated according to a solar calendar and falls on the fourteenth or fifteenth day of January every year. The festival also has a lot of astronomical significance attached to it, marking the beginning of the Uttarayana phase or the sun's northwards movement for a period of six months. Uttarayana is considered especially auspicious according to Hindu traditions as opposed to Dakshinayana, which marks the movement of the sun towards the south.

Pongal marks the end of the farming season and provides the farmers a break from the hectic routine. The temples are heralded with bells and drums while the villages mark the occasion by preparing rice in pots. Offerings of rice, vegetables and sugarcane are made to the gods and the people pray for the prosperity of all.
Pongal in History
Pongal is an ancient festival for south Indian people, the origins of which can be traced back to 200 B.C. Although Pongal in particular is a festival of the Dravidians, its roots and origin can be traced back to the ancient festivals of Thai Un and Thai Niradal which were celebrated thousands of years ago during the sangam age. The celebrations during these festivals were modified with time and led to the celebration of today's Pongal festival.

According to legend, Lord Shiva once asked his bull, Basava to go to earth and ask the people to have an oil massage every day and to eat just once a month. Basava went to earth but conveyed the wrong message. Enraged at this, Lord Shiva cursed the bull to remain on earth forever and serve people in tilling their land. From that day, the use of cattle has been going on for farming purposes.

Four Days of Pongal
The Hindu festival of Pongal is celebrated over a period of four days. The first day is the Bhogi festival while second day is known as the Pongal festival. On the third day is the Mattu Pongal and the last day is the day of Kanu Pongal. Each of these has its own special significance and ways of celebration.

Bhogi Festival - Bhogi or Bogi is the first of the four day celebrations marking Pongal. It is celebrated as a mark of respect to Lord Indra, the god of rain. People clean and whitewash their houses and decorate the floors with beautiful designs. Fresh harvest from the fields is brought into the homes and worshipped. Another important ritual performed on the day is when people collect all the useless articles in their homes and lite these in a huge bon fire.

Surya Pongal - The second day of Pongal is known as the Surya Pongal, a day dedicated to the sun god. The day begins early in the morning when women create beautiful pictures on the ground, known as Kolam. Rice is prepared in pots and offered to the sun god along with milk and jaggery.

Mattu Pongal - Mattu Pongal or a day dedicated to cattle marks the third day of this festival. Cattle has played an important part in farming, thus mattu pongal is celebrated as a day when the cattle are worshipped and given a day of rest. The cattle are bathed and their horns painted with shining colors. After that, the cattle are fed and taken to village centre where the devotees offer flower garlands and other offerings.

Kaanum Pongal - The fourth and final day of the festival is known as Kaanum Pongal, Karinaal or Thiruvalluvar day. The celebrations on the day are very similar to those during the festival of Raksha Bandhan. All the women of the house assemble in the courtyard in the morning and pray for the well being and prosperity of their brothers. People visit their relatives in other villages and then together thank god for their well being.