The Harvest Festival
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Pongal is a harvest festival - the Tamil equivalent of Thanksgiving. In an agriculture based civilization the harvest plays an important part. The farmer cultivating his land depends on cattle, timely rain and the Sun. Once a year, he expresses
his gratitude to these during the harvest festival. With the end of the wet month of Margazhi (mid December to mid January) the new Tamil month of Thai heralds a series of festivals. The first day of this month is a festival day known as "Pongal Day". Pongal
means the "boiling over" of milk and rice during the month of Thai.
According to the calendar based on the solar system the year is divided into two halves following the apparent movement of the Sun northwards and Southwards. The farmer is termed Uttarayanam and the latter is Dakshinayanam. On the first day of the Thai, the
Sun leaves the zodiac sign of Sagittarius and enters that of capricorn, the latter is known as Makaram. The event thus is celebrated as Pongal.
The four day celebration of Pongal Marks a period of plenty, peace and happiness. There is a Tamil saying that "Thai peranthal Vali Perakum". That paraphrased means with the dawn of the month of Thai, there will be peace, happiness, prosperity, brightness and
harmony in the life of everyone.
The spirit of Pongal, the harvest festival of Tamil Nadu, is giving thanks to God for a bountiful harvest as people prepare a special dish called 'Sarkkarai Pongal' and pray for the blessings of the Sun God. One of the most popular Tamilian festival, it is
celebrated on January 14th every year coinciding with Makar Sankranti in the North, Lohri in Punjab, Bhogali Bihu in Assam and Bhogi of Andhra Pradesh. One of the very few Dravidian festivals that have survived the Indo-Aryan influences, Pongal finds little
reference in Puranas. Falling just after the winter solstice and a bountiful harvest, Pongal marks the season of celebration and joyous activities. Mainly a three-day festival, the fourth day just after the festival is dedicated to outdoors and excursions.
The houses are cleaned and decorated to prepare for Pongal. For the festival, the Hindus buy new clothes and the ladies of the households would prepare sweetmeats. There is also a belief in the Hindus that the harvest festival will bring great wealth and goodness
to their homes. All the four days of Pongal have their own significance as separate deities are worshiped each day.
Pongal also marks the beginning of a New Year and is the day to praise and thank God with full devotion and faith and sincerity of heart. Old vices and past should be abandoned forever on this day as we get ready to start life afresh. The festival covers all
living beings including humans, cattle and birds and crops. Even the insects have not been overlooked and are offered rice flour to feed on in the form of 'Kollam' on the entranceway of the houses. Thus, Pongal is a day for peace and happiness for all.