Pongal is the only festival of Hindu that follows a solar calendar and is celebrated on the fourteenth of January every year. Pongal marks the beginning of Uttarayana. In Hindu temples bells, drums, clarinets and conch shells herald the joyous occasion of Pongal.
To symbolize a bountiful harvest, rice is cooked in new pots until they boil over. Some of the rituals performed in the temple include the preparation of rice, the chanting of prayers and the offering of vegetables, sugar cane and spices to the gods.Pongal signals the end of the traditional farming season, giving farmers a break from their monotonous routine. Farmers also perform puja to some crops. In fact, four festivals are celebrated in Tamil Nadu for four consecutive days in that week.
'Bogi' is celebrated on January 13, 'Pongal' on Jan 14, 'Maattuppongal' on Jan 15, and 'Thiruvalluvar Day' on Jan 16. The festival is celebrated for four days. On, the first day, Bhogi, the old clothes and materials are thrown away and fired, marking the beginning of a new life.The second day, the Pongal day, is celebrated by boiling fresh milk early in the morning and allowing it to boil over the vessel.
People also prepare savories and sweets, visit each other's homes, and exchange greetings. The third day, Mattu Pongal, is meant to offer thanks to the cows and buffaloes, as they are used to plough the lands. On the last day, Kanum Pongal, people go out to picnic. A festival called Jalli kathu is held in Madurai, Tiruchirapalli and Tanjavur,all in Tamil Nadu, on this day.Bundles of money are tied to the horns of Pongal ferocious bulls which the villagers try to retrieve. Everyone joins in the community meal, at which the food is made of the freshly harvested grain.
This day is named and celebrated as Tamilian Tirunal in a fitting manner through out Tamil Nadu. The harvest festival of Pongal symbolizes the veneration of the first fruit. In south India, all three days of Pongal are considered important. However, south Indians usually celebrate only the second day. It is called Pongal Sankranti.
