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India Tourism Home >> Festival Tour >> Pongal PONGAL
THE FESTIVAL When the harvest is over, the people of Tamil Nadu express their gratitude to the gods, the earth and their cattle. For four days, they celebrate with abandon and worship with devotion. Pongal, the harvest festival in mid-January is a very important one in Tamil Nadu. Pongal festivities continue through the first four days of the Tamil month of Thai (mid-January to mid-February). The houses are cleaned, painted and decorated. People wear new clothes and the cattle are gaily caparisoned with beads, bells and flowers-their horns painted and capped with gleaming metals. CELEBRATIONS Though more popular in the rural areas, it is celebrated with the same gusto and fervor by the urban population too and the preparations are quite elaborate. One can notice beautiful Kolams (decorative patterns made on the floor with rice flour) gracing the entrance of most houses. Kolams are generally drawn, traditionally speaking, with rice flour, the idea being that insects would feed on it and bless the household. The kolam also bore sociological significance and is even today religiously performed as a threshold ceremony before dawn in traditional households. Today, the kolam serves decorative purposes, and therefore almost no one takes the pain to draw it with rice flour. Instead, substitutes that can make instant kolams are popularly used. At the center of the Kolam is a lump of cow-dung, which holds a five-petalled pumpkin flower-a symbol of fertility and an offering of love to the presiding deity. However, one thing that distracts from the solemnity of the festival is the film music blaring out of microphones. Major festivals in the south are irrevocably linked to the buying of new clothes and the preparing of sweets and other delicacies. The shops are flooded with new things begging to be bought. For women, it is a must to put flowers in their hair, as this is considered auspicious. Several community events like bullfight and bird fights are organized and community dinners made from the newly harvested crop are enjoyed by all. LEGENDS Though several legends are connected to the celebration of Pongal, the most popular is the one connected to the first day, when the Rain God, Bhogi or Indran, is worshipped. It is believed that on this day, Lord Krishna lifted the Govardhan Mountain on his little finger to shelter his people and save them from being washed away by the rains and floods. PLACES TO VISIT Undoubtedly, Tamil Nadu would be the best place to visit during the time of this festival. Four days filled with joy and festivity can be witnessed in the entire state. |
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