Dear Members :
This is the companion piece for the earlier
mail sent to you on Pongal Festival.
V.Sadagopan
Moderator , Oppiliappan , Malolan ,
SaraNagathy and Raama Bhakthi Lists .
http://www.sundarasimham.org
http://www.Thiruppavai.org
http://www.ibiblio.org/Sadagopan/ahobilavalli/ebooks.htm
http://www.Thiruppavai.org
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
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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