Dear Readers,
I am writing as to what i know about pongal festival. It would nice if some
one could enlighten more on this tradition festival and its importance in our
sampradayams.
Pongal is the only festival of Hindu that follows a solar calendar and is
celebrated on the fourteenth of January every year.Pongal has astronomical
significance: it marks the beginning of Uttarayana, the Sun's movement
northward for a six month period. In Hinduism, Uttarayana is considered
auspicious, as opposed to Dakshinaayana, or the southern movement of the sun.
All-important events are scheduled during this period. Makara Sankranthi
refers to the event of the Sun entering the zodiac sign of Makara or Capricorn.
In Hindu temples bells, drums, clarinets and conch shells
herald the joyous occasion of Pongal. To symbolize a bountiful harvest, rice is
cooked in new pots until they boil over. Some of the rituals performed in the
temple include the preparation of rice, the chanting of prayers and the
offering of vegetables, sugar cane and spices to the gods. Devotees then
consume the offerings to exonerate themselves of past sins.
Thai Pongal is an occasion for family re-unions and get-together. Old
enmities, personal animosities and rivalries are forgotten. Estrangements are
healed and reconciliation effected. Indeed, Thai Pongal is a festival of
freedom, peace, Unity and compassion crystallized in the last hymn on unity in
the Indian spiritual text the Rig Veda. Thus, love and peace are the central
theme of Thai Pongal.
Pongal signals the end of the traditional farming season,
giving farmers a break from their monotonous routine. Farmers also perform puja
to some crops, signaling the end of the traditional farming season. It also
sets the pace for a series of festivals to follow in a calendar year. In fact,
four festivals are celebrated in Tamil Nadu for four consecutive days in that
week. 'Bogi' is celebrated on January 13, 'Pongal' on Jan 14, 'Maattuppongal'
on Jan 15, and 'Thiruvalluvar Day' on Jan 16. The festival is celebrated for
four days. On, the first day, Bhogi, the old clothes and materials are thrown
away and fired, marking the beginning of a new life. The second day, the Pongal
day, is celebrated by boiling fresh milk early in the morning and allowing it
to boil over the vessel - a tradition that is the literal translation for
Pongal. People also prepare savories and sweets, visit each other's homes, and
exchange greetings. The third day, Mattu Pongal, is
meant to offer thanks to the cows and buffaloes, as they are used to plough
the lands. On the last day, Kanum Pongal, people go out to picnic.
A festival called Jalli katthu is held in Madurai, Tiruchirapalli and
Tanjavur,all in TamilNadu, on this day. Bundles of money are tied to the horns
of Pongal ferocious bulls which the villagers try to retrieve. Everyone joins
in the community meal, at which the food is made of the freshly harvested
grain. This day is named and celebrated as Tamiliar Thirunal in a fitting
manner through out Tamil Nadu.
Thus, the harvest festival of Pongal symbolizes the veneration of
the first fruit. The crop is harvested only after a certain time of the year,
and cutting the crop before that time is strictly prohibited. Even though
Pongal was originally a festival for the farming community, today it is
celebrated by all. In south India, all three days of Pongal are considered
important. However, those south Indians who have settled in the north usually
celebrate only the second day. Coinciding with Makara Sankranti and Lohri of
the north, it is also called Pongal Sankranti.
--
Best Wishes,
Kidambi Narayanan,
RM 822,Crystal Village V8,
2-13-11 Arai, Nakano-ku,
Tokyo 165-0026,Japan
Ph: +81-90-7258-8492
BlogSpot:http://kidzu.blogspot.com
Albums: http://photos.yahoo.com/kidambinarayanan
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Photos
Got holiday prints? See all the ways to get quality prints in your hands ASAP.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing
http://us.click.yahoo.com/lMct6A/Vp3LAA/i1hLAA/VkWolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SriRangaSri/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
SriRangaSri-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
|
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia |
srirangasri-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To subscribe to the list |