Pongal

Pongal festival is one of the major festivals of the state of Tamil Nadu, which is celebrated every year in the month of January for four days from the day the Sun enters Capricorn. This is a major agricultural festival, which is also called the unveiling festival. The word Pongal means 'to boil well', hence on this day food is prepared by boiling milk, sugar, rice and ghee etc. well to offer to the Sun God and is dedicated to the Sun God as Prasad.

The main festival of Pongal festival is celebrated for four days.

Bhogi Pongal: The festival of Pongal begins with the name of Bhogi Pongal, which is celebrated on the first day. On this day people decorate their houses, Indra is called Bhogi Pongal, because on this day people worship Indra, the god of rain, for good crop yield and say that worshiping Indra dev brings happiness, prosperity and happiness. The Tamil new year begins from this day itself.

Surya Pongal: The second day is celebrated as Surya Pongal. On this day people worship Lord Surya and boil Chole Pak Pudding (Pongal). It is provided as Prasad and is distributed among all the family members.

Mattu Pongal: The festival of Mattu Pongal is celebrated on the third day. On this day Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped and various types of dishes are prepared.

Kannum Pongal: The last day is celebrated as Kannum Pongal. On this day people pledge to express their beliefs and habits and have fun with their village and community.

Method of worship:

Sun God is worshiped in Pongal festival. Gratitude is expressed to the Sun God in this festival, because his rays contribute significantly to farming and the growth of crops.

Surya Puja starts at the time of sunrise. For this, a square shaped area is prepared in an open space, such as on a rooftop or in the fields. White colored rice, jaggery, cow filtered urine, copper pot and garland of flowers are kept in this square.

When the sun rises, people stand on top of the square and chant mantras facing the Sun God. These mantras are known as Aryamantra, Suryamantra and Ushamantra. After this, the rice kept in the square is mixed with jaggery and consumed as Prasad.

Apart from worshiping the Sun during the Pongal festival, people also worship other deities like Shiva, Ganesha, Lakshmi and Durga. The idols of these Gods and Goddesses are decorated, worshiped and offered special food, flower garlands and offerings.

Surya Puja brings blessings of Lord Surya which helps in growth of crops, wealth, property and prosperity.

The importance of Pongal festival is derived from various aspects, like :

Agricultural Festival: Pongal festival is a major agricultural festival which recognizes the production of crops and the hard work of farmers. It is a paddy harvest festival which is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Farmers share their organizations and experiences and enjoy celebrating the occasion in a festive manner.

Sun Worship: Sun God is worshiped during the Pongal festival. Sun God is considered a symbol of wealth, property and energy. Through this puja, gratitude is expressed to Lord Surya and his blessings are obtained.

Family Celebration: Pongal festival is a family celebration which provides an opportunity to unite the family members and celebrate. People eat meals with their families, participate in family activities, and bond with each other.

Mythology :

Once upon a time, Mahadev ji sent his beloved Nandi to earth to give a special message to humans. He told Nandi that all humans should take bath every day and eat food only once in a month. When Nandi ji came to earth with this news, for some reason he forgot the message given by Shiv ji. He told all humans to eat food every day and take bath only once a month.

When this news came to Lord Shiva, he became very angry. They thought that if this happens then there will be a shortage of food on earth. They decided to punish the bull to stay on earth. And said, you will have to help humans in growing food. The good harvest produced with the help of the bull brought great joy to the people, and they decided to celebrate this festival. After this incident, began the tradition of celebrating the festival of Pongal, in which paddy is worshiped and boiled rice (Pongal) is eaten as prasad. People consider this festival a symbol of happiness, prosperity and attainment of wealth and celebrate it enthusiastically. In South India, bulls are decorated and worshiped. They celebrate this festival with great joy and enthusiasm.

Through this story, Pongal festival describes the importance of paddy, the angry nature of Lord Shiva and sensitizes the people of the earth towards ideal food.

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• Attukal Pongala