Pongalo Pongal (Boiling)

Wish You All a Happy PONGAL

Before i tell my Pongal celebrations, First we see, why we celebrate Pongal.

Pongal is a four day long harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu, a southern state of India. For as long as people have been planting and gathering food, there has been some form of Harvest Festival. Pongal, one of the most important popular Hindu festivals of the year. This four-day festival of thanksgiving to nature takes its name from the Tamil word meaning to boil and is held in the month of Thai (January-February) during the season when rice and other cereals, sugar-cane, and turmeric (an essential ingredient in Tamil cooking) are harvested. Mid-January is an important time in the Tamil calendar. The harvest festival, Pongal, falls typically on the 14th or the 15th of January and is the quintessential Tamil Festival. Pongal is a harvest festival, a traditional occasion for giving thanks to nature, for celebrating the life cycles that give us grain. Tamilians say `Thai pirandhaal vazhi pirakkum, and believe that knotty family problems will be solved with the advent of the Tamil month Thai that begins on Pongal day. This is traditionally the month of weddings. This is not a surprise in a largely agricultural community the riches fgained from a good harvest orm the economic basis for expensive family occasions like weddings. The first day is celebrated as Bhogi and second day is celebrated as Surya Pongal, third day is celebrated as Mattu (Bull) Pongal and The Fourth day is known as Kannum Pongal day..

My celebration

On Pongal day, i usualy wake early, take bath, wear New Cloths and watch Specail Program. My dad will go to shop and buy Sugarcane and turmeric, at 11.30 or 12.00 we take the Pongal Pot to the open space in front of our house to do pooja. Every time i ask my mom to keep pongal on the fire, until it flows, but my mom dont hear my word,and take it as soon as it ready. I will argue with here, that when the pongal flows form the pot, that is the real pongal. I also like to eat the pongal which was cooked in pot, but my mom used to cook it in cooker. On last pongal i compul my mom to buy a new pot and cook the pongal on this, because when we buy a pot for pongal, it will help the poor people who sales pots and they also will celebrate the Pongal. after keeping the pot in open, we show camphor (in tamil Karpuram) to the sun god, and we will shout pongalo pongal. after finishing the pooja, we will be read to taste the Pongal, Vadai and sundal. and will continue the Special programs in TV. I like to celebrate atleast one pongal in Village.

Tommarro will tell about My Mattu Pongal celebration.