Vanakkam enn inniya pongal nal vazlthukal.... 
Happy Pongal to 
all....
Meaning & Significance
People celebrating Pongal should be aware of the meaning & significance 
of the important rituals associated with this harvest festival. Pongal or Thai 
Pongal is also called Makara Sankaranthi, since it is celebrated on the first 
day of Thai when the Sun enters the Makara Rasi (Capricornus). This signals 
the end of winter and the onset of spring throughout the northern hemisphere. 
For the next six months, the days are longer and warmer. 
The period is 
referred to as Uttarayan Punyakalam and is considered auspicious. Legend has it 
that the Devas wake up after a six-month long slumber during this period. And so 
it is believed that those pass away during Uttarayana attain salvation. In fact, 
Bheeshma is believed to have waited for the dawn of Uttarayana before he gave up 
his life. 
Pongal is a four-day affair. The first day, Bhogi, is 
celebrated on the last day of the month of Margazhi. On this day, people 
decorate their homes. New vessels are bought and old and unwanted things burnt. 
Scholars have often compared Bhogi to the Indra Vizha celebrated by the Chola 
kings at Kaveripattinam, also known as Poompuhar. Indra Vizha was celebrated in 
honour of Lord Indra, also called Bhogi, the God of thunder and rain. 
The second day is Perum Pongal, the most important. It is also called 
Surya Pongal because people worship Surya, the Sun God and his consorts, Chaya 
and Samgnya. Women decorate the central courtyard of their homes with beautiful 
kolams, done with rice flour and bordered with red clay. The Pongal dish is 
cooked exactly at the moment when the new month is born. 
There are 
several legends associated with Perum Pongal. A sage named Hema prayed to Lord 
Vishnu on the banks of the Pottramarai tank in Kumbakonam. On Perum Pongal day, 
the lord is believed to have taken the form of Sarangapani and blessed the sage. 
Yet another legend has it that Lord Shiva performed a miracle where a stone 
image of an elephant ate a piece of sugarcane. 
The third day is Mattu 
Pongal, celebrated to glorify cattle that help farmers in a myriad ways. On this 
day, the cows are bathed and decorated with vermilion and garlands and fed. In 
certain villages in southern Tamil Nadu, a bullfight called manji-virattu is 
held in the evening. Bags of coins are tied to the sharpened horns of ferocious 
bulls that are let loose in an open ground. The young men of the village vie 
with each other to subdue the bull and grab the bags tied to the horns. 
In fact, in ancient Tamil literature, men had to subdue the bull in 
order to win the hand of a fair maiden and even Lord Krishna is believed to have 
defeated seven bulls before marrying Nappinnai. Unlike in the Spanish 
bullfights, in manji-virattu, the bull is never killed. Mattu Pongal has little 
significance to city folks. In most urban homes, the day is celebrated as Kannu 
Pongal. Special prayers are offered by women for the well-being of their 
brothers. 
The Tamils also remember the poet Tiruvalluvar, who was born 
on this. The last day is Kaanum Pongal. It is that part of the festival when 
families used to gather on the riverbanks and have a sumptuous meal 
(kootanchoru). It is also time for some traditional dances such as kummi 
and kolattam. In recent years, that day is celebrated as Uzhavar Tirunal in 
honor of farmers.
More pongal related .....visit - Courtesy
http://www.pongalfestival.org/meaning-significance.html