Pongal is the only festival of Hindu that follows a solar calendar and is
celebrated in the middle of January every year. Pongal has astronomical
significance: it marks the beginning of Uttarayana, the Sun's movement
northward for a six month period. In Hinduism, Uttarayana is considered
auspicious, as opposed to Dakshinaayana, or the southern movement of the
sun. All important events are scheduled during this period. Makara
Sankranthi refers to the event of the Sun entering the zodiac sign of Makara or
Capricorn.
Thai pongal is a harvest festival celebrated by Tamil people at the end of the
harvest season. Pongal is a four day festival which usually takes from 13th to
16thin the Gregorian calendar.ie. the last day of the Tamil month Margazhi to
the 3rdday of Tamil month Thai. This day coincides with Makara Sankranthi
which is a winter harvest festival celebrated throughout India.
The second day of the Pongal festival, 'Thai Pongal' is also known as 'Surya
Pongal'. On this day Sun is given importance. On the morning of this day, the
family will gather outside their houses and cook "Pongal" in clay pots
decorated with sugarcane pieces,flowers and turmeric plants. When the rice
inside the pot overflows the people will cry out "Pongal O Pongal" and pray to
the Sun.The overflowing of rice symbolizes a prosperous farming season for
them. They also say "thai pirandhal Vazhi pirakkum" which means "the
commencement of Thai paves way for new opportunities"is often quoted
regarding the Pongal festival.Thai Pongal is mainly celebrated to convey the
appreciation and thankfulness to the SunGod as it is the Surya mangalyam.
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzKFx2WQp40[/YOUTUBE]
The third day of Pongal, 'Maattu Pongal' where the people offer their thanks to
their cattle... bulls, cows and other farm animals that are used for agriculture.
Farmers bath the cattle, paint the horns, cover them with metal caps and
decorate them with multi-colored beads, tinkling beads, flower garlands and
bunch of corn around the necks. Then, the cattle are worshipped with people
touching their feet and forehead and feed them with Pongal.
The striking feature of Maatu Pongal is a festival by the name, Jallikattu or
taming the wild bull. Though these kinds of events are held throughout Tamil
Nadu, the most popular of them are the ones that are held at Alanganallur, near
Madurai.
The fourth day of the Pongal, Kaanum Pongal is the final day of Pongal. The day
is also celebrated as Thiruvalluvar day. 'Kaanum' means, to view and as the day
indicates, it is the occasion for the family members to visit each other's families
and exchange gifts.This is a time for family reunions in Tamil Nadu. brothers
pay special tribute to their married sisters by giving gifts as affirmation of their
filial love. Landlords present gifts of food, clothes and money to their
workforce. During Kaanum Pongal, in the cities this day is synonymous with
people flocking to beaches and theme parks to have a day out with their
families.
In someother parts of India pongal is celebrated as Makara sankranthi or
Uttarayana or Lohri or Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu
Sports
