Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated by the people of Tamil Nadu to mark the end of the harvest season. It coincides with Makara Sankranti, a festival celebrated across India as the winter harvest. The word Pongal itself refers to the "boiling over" of milk and rice, a symbolic act performed during the Tamil month of Thai. Farmers, who toil all year harvesting paddy crops, use the freshly produced rice to prepare pongal on this auspicious day to express their gratitude to Lord Surya (the Sun God). On this day, the Sun transitions from its southern direction to the northern direction (Uttarayana).
It is a tradition for Tamil families to decorate their homes with banana and mango leaves and embellish the floors with intricate decorative patterns known as kolam, drawn using rice flour.
Pongal is a three-day festival starting from the last day of the Tamil month Margazhi and continuing until the second day of Thai. The festival is celebrated as follows:
- Bhogi Pongal: The first day, dedicated to discarding old belongings and celebrating new beginnings.
- Thai Pongal: The main day of the festival, where the preparation of pongal is central to the celebration.
- Kanu Pongal: The final day, focusing on family gatherings and traditional customs.
Preparations for Thai Pongal
Certain essential items are required for the festival: flowers, coconuts, betel leaves and nuts, sugarcane, and turmeric plants (manja kothu). Two turmeric plants are typically needed—one with an abundance of turmeric and another with large, fresh leaves. The leaves are often refrigerated for use on Kanu Pongal.
Traditionally, pongal is prepared in handmade clay pots adorned with turmeric, kumkum, and sunnambu (lime). The pots are tied with turmeric plants, including their leaves and roots. In modern times, many prepare pongal in pressure cookers, which are decorated in a similar way. As the dish cooks and the steam whistles, families joyfully chant "Pongalo Pongal" while offering prayers to God.
Festive Foods
For Thai Pongal, traditional dishes such as sakkarai pongal (sweet pongal), vadai, and plain rice are prepared for neivedhyam (offering to God). The offerings are made only at the auspicious moment when the Tamil month of Thaibegins.
A variety of vegetables like broad beans, pumpkin, ash gourd, sweet potatoes (sakkaraivelli kizhangu), yam (senaikizhangu), raw bananas, and lima beans are used to prepare pongal kootu, a special mixed-vegetable dish. This kootu is often made in large quantities, as some of it is reserved for the next day’s Kanu Festival.
On Kanu Pongal, leftover pongal kootu and aviyal are repurposed to make ericha kuzhambu, a flavorful dish made by cooking the leftovers with tamarind juice, salt, and sambar powder until thickened. It is a tradition to eat at least a spoonful of leftover food on Kanu Festival as a sign of gratitude and continuity.
Rituals and Celebrations
An open space with ample sunlight is cleaned and decorated with kolam. Inside the kolam, symbols of the sun and moon are drawn. Poojas are performed for Lord Vinayakar and Lord Surya. Offerings for neivedhyam include sugarcane, sakkarai pongal, betel leaves with nuts, bananas, and other traditional dishes. Prayers are offered for prosperity and happiness in life.
Wishing you a very Happy Pongal!
