Observed in the month of Thai (between mid-January and mid-February), Pongal is celebrated for four days with each day having its own significance and practices.
In preparation for the celebration, Indians decorate their house entrances with colourful traditional kolam (patterns made out of rice flour) and tie sugarcanes and mango leaves at the front door. They also tie a turmeric root around a clay pot and adorn it with vibhuti (holy ash) and kumkumam (vermilion).
The most important part of the festival is cooking the pongal dish called sakkarai pongal (sweet pongal) using rice mixed with moong dal (mung beans), ghee, cashew nuts, raisins, sugar, and milk.
Pongal is basically a celebration to say thanks to God and nature, including the cow, and to revel in togetherness. It marks a new beginning and the hope that life will be bountiful like the overflowing pongal.
Bhogi Pongal
The first day of the Pongal celebration is dedicated to the deity Indra who represents rain. Indians in rural areas pray for the prosperity of their agricultural land on this day.
Devotees will usually clean and discard old items items in their homes and prepare for the main celebration the following day.
Traditionally, people in villages burn agricultural waste and unwanted household items in a large bonfire, thus signifying cleansing and a new beginning in their lives.
Thai Pongal
The second day is the day when rice from the first harvest of the season is cooked. It is also called Surya Pongal as devotees worship the deity Surya, symbolised by the sun, on this day.
The sweet rice is traditionally cooked in a new clay pot in the open and allowed to boil over. When it does, everyone shouts “pongalo pongal”, signifying plenty and prosperity for the year ahead.
The pongal is then placed on a banana leaf along with other traditional delicacies such as vadai, payasam, sugarcane, coconuts, and bananas for puja (prayers) before being served to family and friends.
Maattu Pongal
The third day of celebration is dedicated to the worship of cows. People in rural areas customarily clean and worship their cows on this day.
Farmers adorn their cows with multicoloured beads, tinkling bells, and flower garlands and parade them in the village centre. The cows are then worshiped and an aarti (sacred flames) is performed to honour them.
The cow is revered because it is essential to the farmer and is a vital source of milk and milk-based products. In worshiping the cow, the farmer and the people at large are reminded to see divinity in all life forms starting from the cow, without which their food supply will be affected.
Indians in the southern state of Tamil Nadu in India also celebrate the Jallikattu festival on this day. Known as “Eru Thazhuvuthal” (bull embracing), a small pouch of coins is tied onto a bull’s horns and it is then released into a crowd of people. People then attempt to remove the pouch from the bull’s horns by holding onto its hump and capturing it before the finish line.
Kaanum Pongal and Kanni Pongal
Kaanum Pongal and Kanni Pongal fall on the fourth and last day of the festivities, but the method of celebration is quite different.
Kaanum means “viewing” or “seeing” and so family members and friends gather on this day to spend time together and have a good time.
Meanwhile, Kanni means “virgin females” and the day is to celebrate fertility. Unmarried women in rural areas are treated like royalty and presented with clothes and jewellery. It is also a day to create opportunities for families to search for potential brides for eligible menfolk.