Indian Festival Pongal

Pongal

This 3–day festival, celebrated from January 13 to 16 (as the dates are calculated by the solar calendar, they never change), originally marked the harvest festivities of the farming community, to give thanks for bounteous crops. Today it has become one of South India’s most popular festivals, the equivalent of Makar Sankranti in the North, and is widely celebrated in the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

The word Pongal has two connotations. It is the name of the special dish - rice cooked in milk and jaggery - made on this day. It also means to boil over.

The first day, Bhogi Pongal, is dedicated to Indra, the Rain God. The day is spent with family; homes are thoroughly cleaned, a dish of rice and dal is ceremoniously prepared and served. Surya Pongal, the second day, is dedicated to the Sun God. Elaborate kolam (rangolis) are prepared at the entrance of homes. New clothes are won, new utensils put into use, and new rice is made into pongal, cooked in pots till it overflows. Worship of the cow marks the third day, Mattu Pongal. Cattle are given a ceremonious bath, decorated with ornaments and fed sweetmeats. Cattle races enliven the village festivities. Community meals are held at many a place, using ingredients provided by the freshly gathered harvest.

In Madurai , Tiruchirapalli and Tanjore a kind of bull fight - Jellikuttu - is held. Bundles containing money are tied to the horns of the ferocious bulls, and unarmed men try to wrest the bundles from them.