Pongal (festival)
Pongal | |
---|---|
Observed by | Primarily Tamil Hindus in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, United States, Indonesia, Mauritius, Singapore, UK, South Africa, Canada, Australia, Gulf countries |
Type | Hindu[1][2] |
Significance | Harvest festival |
Celebrations | Pongal (dish), decorations, home coming, prayers, processions, gift giving[3] |
Date | First day of the 10th month of Thai (Tamil calendar) |
2024 date | Monday, 15 January[4] |
Frequency | annual |
Related to | Makar Sankranti, Magh Bihu, Uttarayana, Maghi, Maghe Sankranti, Shakrain |
Pongal (/ˈθaɪˈpoʊŋʌl/), also referred to as Thai Pongal, is a multi-day Hindu harvest festival celebrated by Tamils. It is observed in the month of Thai according to the Tamil solar calendar and usually falls on 14 or 15 January. It is dedicated to Surya (the solar deity in Hinduism) and corresponds to Makar Sankranti, the Hindu observance celebrated under many regional names throughout the Indian subcontinent. The festival is celebrated over three or four days with Bhogi, Surya Pongal, Mattu Pongal and Kanum Pongal, observed on consecutive days.
According to tradition, the festival marks the end of winter solstice, and the start of the sun's six-month-long journey northwards called Uttarayana when the sun enters Capricorn. The festival is named after the ceremonial "Pongal", which means "to boil, overflow" and refers to the traditional dish prepared from the new harvest of rice boiled in milk with jaggery. Mattu Pongal is meant for celebration of cattle when the cattle are bathed, their horns polished and painted in bright colors, garlands of flowers placed around their necks and processions. It is traditionally an occasion for decorating rice-powder based kolam artworks, offering prayers in the home, temples, getting together with family and friends, and exchanging gifts to renew social bonds of solidarity.
Pongal is one of the most important festivals celebrated by Tamil people in Tamil Nadu and other parts of South India. It is also a major Tamil festival in Sri Lanka and observed by the Tamil diaspora worldwide.
Etymology
Thai Pongal is a portmanteau of two words: Thai (Tamil: 'தை') referring to the tenth month of the Tamil calendar and Pongal (from pongu) meaning "boiling over" or "overflow." Pongal also refers to a sweet dish of rice boiled in milk and jaggery that is ritually prepared and consumed on the day.[6]
History
The principal theme of Pongal is thanking the sun god Surya, the forces of nature, and the farm animals and people who support agriculture. The festival is mentioned in an inscription in the Viraraghava temple attributed to the Chola king Kulottunga I (1070–1122 CE), which describes a grant of land to the temple for celebrating the annual Pongal festivities.[7] The 9th-century Shaiva Bhakti text Tiruvempavai by Manikkavacakar vividly mentions the festival.[7] It appears in Tamil texts and inscriptions with variant spellings such as ponakam, tiruponakam, and ponkal.[8] Temple inscriptions from the Chola period to the Vijayanagara period detail recipes similar to pongal recipes of the modern era with variations in seasonings and relative amounts of the ingredients.[8] The terms ponakam, ponkal, and its prefixed variants might also indicate the festive pongal dish as a prasadam (religious offering) which were given as a part of the meals served by free community kitchens in South Indian Hindu temples either as festival food or to pilgrims every day.[8]
Observance and traditions
Pongal is a multi-day Hindu harvest festival celebrated by Tamils.[1][6][9] It is observed in the month of Thai according to the Tamil solar calendar and usually falls on 14 or 15 January and hence is also referred to as Thai Pongal.[3] It is dedicated to the Surya, the Sun God and corresponds to Makar Sankranti, the harvest festival under many regional names celebrated throughout India.[10][11][12] According to tradition, the festival marks the end of winter solstice, and the start of the sun's six-month-long journey northwards when the sun enters the Capricorn, also called as Uttarayana.[1] The festival is observed for three or four days in Tamil Nadu, but for one or two days in urban locations and by the Tamil diaspora outside South Asia.[1][9] The three days of the Pongal festival are called Bhogi Pongal, Surya Pongal, and Mattu Pongal.[13] Some Tamils celebrate a fourth day of Pongal known as Kanum Pongal.[9] It is traditionally an occasion for decorating, offering prayers in the home, temples, getting together with family and friends, and exchanging gifts to renew social bonds of solidarity.[3][14]
Cuisine
The festival is named after the "Pongal" dish, which forms the festival's most significant practice. The dish is prepared by boiling freshly harvested rice in cow milk and raw cane sugar.[1] Additional ingredients such as coconut and ghee along with spices such as cardamom, raisins and cashews are also used.[8][13] The cooking is done in a clay pot that is often garlanded with leaves or flowers, sometimes tied with a piece of turmeric root. It is either cooked at home, or in community gatherings such as in temples or village open spaces.[8][15] The cooking is done in sunlight, usually in a porch or courtyard and the dish is dedicated to the Sun god, Surya. After it is traditionally offered to the gods and goddesses first, followed sometimes by cows, then to friends and family gathered.[16] Temples and communities organize free kitchen prepared by volunteers to all those who gather.[3][17] Portions of the sweet pongal dish (Sakkarai Pongal) are distributed as the prasadam in temples.[13]
The dish and the process of its preparation is a part of the symbolism, both conceptually and materially.[6][14] It celebrates the harvest and the cooking symbolizes the transformation of the gift of agriculture into nourishment for the gods and the community on a day that when the sun god is believed to start the journey north.[6] The dish "boiling over" is believed to symbolically mark the blessing by Parvati.[15] It is the ritual dish, along with many other courses prepared from seasonal foods for the gathering.
Kolam
The festival is marked with colorful kolam artwork. Kolam is a form of traditional decorative art that is drawn by using rice flour often along with natural or synthetic color powders.[18] It includes geometrical line drawings composed of straight lines, curves and loops, drawn around a grid pattern of dots.[19]
Bhogi
The first day of the Pongal festival is called Bhogi, which marks the last day of the Tamil month Marghazhi.[7] On this day people discard old belongings and celebrate new possessions. The people assemble and light a bonfire in order to burn the heaps of discards.[20] Houses are cleaned, painted and decorated to give a festive look.[13] Prayers are offered to Indra, the king of Gods with thanks and hopes for plentiful rains in the year ahead.[13] Kaappu kattu is a tradition of tying leaves of Azadirachta indica, Senna auriculata and Aerva lanata in the roofs of houses and residential areas that is widely practiced in the Kongu Nadu region.[21][22] Bhogi is observed on the same day in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.[23] Fruits of the harvest are collected along with flowers of the season and a mixture of treats along with money is given to children, who then separate and collect the money and sweet fruits.[24]
Surya Pongal
Surya Pongal or Thai Pongal is the second and main festive day, and is dedicated to the sun god Surya.[13][20] It is the first day of the Tamil calendar month Thai and coincides with Makara Sankranti, a winter harvest festival celebrated in other parts of India. The day marks the start of the Uttarayana, when the sun enters the tenth house of the zodiac.[9] The day is celebrated with family and friends with new clothes worn and the preparation of the traditional pongal dish in an earthen pot.[9] The pot is typically decorated by tying a turmeric plant or flower garland and placed in the sun along with sugarcane stalks.[9] The homes are decorated with banana and mango leaves, decorative florals and kolams.[9]
Relatives and friends are invited and when the pongal starts to boil and overflow out of the vessel, participants blow a conch or make sounds while shouting "Pongalo Pongal" ("may this rice boil over").[25] In rural areas, people sing traditional songs while the pongal dish is cooking.[6] The Pongal dish is first offered to Surya and Ganesha, and then shared with the gathered friends and family.[26] People traditionally offer prayers to the sun in the open and then proceed to eat their meal.[27] A community Pongal is an event where families gather at a public place for a ceremonial worship.[28][29]
Mattu Pongal
Mattu Pongal ("Madu" meaning cow) is the third day of the festival meant for the celebration of cattle.[6] The cattle is regarded as sources of wealth as it is a means for dairy products and fertilizers, used for transportation and agriculture.[9][27] The cattle are bathed, their horns are polished and painted in bright colors with garlands of flowers placed around their necks and taken for processions.[30] Some decorate their cows with turmeric water and apply shikakai and kumkuma to their foreheads. The cattle are fed sweets including pongal, jaggery, honey, banana and other fruits. People may prostrate before them with words of thanks for the help with the harvest.[27]
The day marks a ritual visit to nearby temples where communities hold processions by parading icons from the sanctum of the temple in wooden chariots, drama-dance performances encouraging social gatherings and renewal of community bonds.[27] Other events during Pongal include community sports and games such as Jallikattu or bull fighting.[27] Jallikattu is a traditional event held during the period attracting huge crowds in which a bull is released into a crowd of people, and multiple human participants attempt to grab the large hump on the bull's back with both arms and hang on to it while the bull attempts to escape.[31] Kanu Pidi is a tradition observed on Mattu Pongal by women and young girls where they place a leaf of turmeric plant outside their home, and feed pongal dish and food to the birds, particularly crow and pray for their brothers' well being.[9][27] Brothers pay special tribute to their married sisters by giving gifts as affirmation of their filial love.[13]
Kanum Pongal
Kanum Pongal or Kanu Pongal is the fourth day of the festival and marks the end of Pongal festivities for the year.[32] The word kanum in the context means "to visit" and families hold reunions on this day. Communities organize social events to strengthen mutual bonds and consume food and sugarcane during social gatherings.[13][33] Young people visit elders to pay respects and seek blessings, with elders giving gifts to the visiting children.[13][34]
Contemporary practices
Pongal festival maybe viewed more as a "social festival" since the contemporary celebrations do not necessarily link it to temple rituals.[9] Temples and cultural centers organize the ritual cooking of Pongal dish, along with fairs (Pongal mela) with handicrafts, crafts, pottery, sarees, ethnic jewelry for sale. These sites hold traditional community sports such as Uri Adithal ("breaking a hanging mud pot while blindfolded"), Pallanguḻi and Kabbadi, as well as group dance and music performances in major cities and towns.[35][36]
- Pongala
Pongala is celebrated in Kerala, a state that shares historic cultural overlap with Tamils through Chera dynasty according to Sangam literature. The rituals including the cooking of pongal dish, social visits, and the reverence for cattle is observed by some communities and is observed on the same day as Tamil Pongal.[37] The celebrations include dance (Kathakali) and musical performances by boys and girls, as well as major processions featuring the temple goddess.[38] In the Attukal Bhagavati Temple near Thiruvanathapuram, Attukal Pongala is celebrated in the month of February–March which attract large crowds.[39][40]
- Others
In Karnataka, the festival days are similar, except the dish is called "Ellu". Decorations and social visits are also common in many parts of Karnataka.[41] The festivities coincide with Makara Sankranthi, Maghi and Bihu celebrated across various parts of India.[42][43][44]
In Sri Lanka, Pongal is celebrated by the Sri Lankan Tamils and the Pongal festivities last two days, essentially focused on Thai Pongal day. The custom of cooking Pukkai, a dish similar to Pongal, and made of rice and milk, is carried out on the first day.[45][46]
Geography
Pongal is one of the most important festivals celebrated by Tamil people in Tamil Nadu and other parts of South India.[47][48] It is also a major Tamil festival in Sri Lanka.[49] It is observed by the Tamil diaspora worldwide,[50][51] including those in Malaysia,[52] Mauritius,[53] South Africa,[54] Singapore,[55] United States,[56] United Kingdom,[57] Canada,[58] and the Gulf countries.[59] In 2017, Delegate David Bulova introduced a joint resolution HJ573 in the Virginia House of Delegates to designate January 14 of each year as Pongal Day.[56]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e "Pongal (Hindu festival)". Encyclopedia Britannica. 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "Religious Festivals". Government of India. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d Beteille, Andre (1964). "89. A Note on the Pongal Festival in a Tanjore Village". Man. 64. Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland: 73–75. doi:10.2307/2797924. ISSN 0025-1496. JSTOR 2797924.
- ^ "Pongal 2024". Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Public holidays for 2020 announced, Tamil Nadu Government". The Hindu. 23 October 2019. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Denise Cush; Catherine A. Robinson; Michael York (2008). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Psychology Press. pp. 610–611. ISBN 978-0-7007-1267-0. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ a b c Kasturi, Prema; Madhavan, Chithra (2007). South India heritage: an introduction. East West Books. p. 223. ISBN 978-81-88661-64-0. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Gutiérrez, Andrea (2018). "Jewels Set in Stone: Hindu Temple Recipes in Medieval Cōḻa Epigraphy". Religions. 9 (9): 279–281, context: 270–303. doi:10.3390/rel9090270. ISSN 2077-1444.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Vijaya Ramaswamy (2017). Historical Dictionary of the Tamils. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 274–275. ISBN 978-1-5381-0686-0. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ Abbas, R (2011). History of People and Their Environs. Bharathi Puthakalayam. pp. 751–752. ISBN 978-93-80325-91-0. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ J. Gordon Melton (2011). Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations. ABC-CLIO. pp. 547–548. ISBN 978-1-59884-206-7.
- ^ Roy W. Hamilton; Aurora Ammayao (2003). The art of rice: spirit and sustenance in Asia. University of California Press. pp. 156–157. ISBN 978-0-930741-98-3. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Mani, A; Prakash, Pravin; Selvarajan, Shanthini (2017). Mathew Mathews (ed.). Singapore Ethnic Mosaic, The: Many Cultures, One People. World Scientific Publishing Company, Singapore. pp. 207–211. ISBN 978-9-8132-3475-8. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ a b Good, Anthony (1983). "A Symbolic Type and Its Transformations: The Case of South Indian Ponkal". Contributions to Indian Sociology. 17 (2). SAGE Publications: 223–244. doi:10.1177/0069966783017002005. S2CID 145809405.
- ^ a b Susan de-Gaia (2018). Encyclopedia of Women in World Religions: Faith and Culture across History. Abc-Clio. pp. 336–337. ISBN 978-1-4408-4850-6. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ G. Eichinger Ferro-Luzzi (1978). "Food for the Gods in South India: An Exposition of Data". Zeitschrift für Ethnologie. Bd. 103, H. 1 (1): 86–108. JSTOR 25841633.
- ^ Gabriella Eichinger Ferro-Luzzi (1977). "The Logic of South Indian Food Offerings". Anthropos. Bd. 72, H. 3/4 (3/4): 529–556. JSTOR 40459138.
- ^ "Traditional customs and practices - Kolams". Indian Heritage. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- ^ Dr.Gift Siromoney. "KOLAM". Chennai Mathematical Institute. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- ^ a b Jagannathan, Maithily (2005). South Indian Hindu Festivals and Traditions. Abhinav Publications. pp. 139–141. ISBN 978-81-7017-415-8.
- ^ Baliga (Rao Bahadur.), B. S. (1998). Madras District Gazetteers: Tiruchirappalli (pt. 1-2). Superintendent, Government Press. p. 338.
- ^ "Kaapu kattu is not just a ritual". Vikatan (in Tamil). Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- ^ Murthy, Neeraja (13 January 2020). "Citizens speak about the change they would want to see this Bhogi". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ Bureau, ABP News (13 January 2022). "Happy Bhogi 2022: Significance & History Of This Festival In South India". ABP. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
{{cite news}}
:|last=
has generic name (help) - ^ "Pongal Harvest Festival". Archived from the original on 9 January 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
- ^ James G. Lochtefeld (2001). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Volume 2. The Rosen Publishing Group. pp. 514–515. ISBN 978-0-8239-3180-4. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Gough, Kathleen (2008). Rural Society in Southeast India. Cambridge University Press. pp. 230–231. ISBN 978-0-521-04019-8. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ "Pongalo pongal". Deccan Chronicle. 14 January 2021. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ "Village celebrates Pongal as one community". The Times of India. 18 January 2019. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ G. Eichinger Ferro-Luzzi (1978). "Food for the Gods in South India: An Exposition of Data". Zeitschrift für Ethnologie. Bd. 103, H. 1 (1). Dietrich Reimer Verlag GmbH: 86–108. JSTOR 25841633.
- ^ Ramakrishnan, T. (26 February 2017). "Governor clears ordinance on 'jallikattu'". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ "What is Pongal? Learn some amazing facts about this harvest festival". India Today. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- ^ K.R. Gupta; Amita Gupta (2006). Concise Encyclopaedia of India. Atlantic Publishers. pp. 986–987. ISBN 978-81-269-0639-0. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ M. N. Pushpa (2012). An Ethnographic Study of the Urikara Naicken Community of Taminadu. Government Museum. p. 59. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ "Pongal mela on Sunday". The Hindu. 15 January 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ^ "A Celebration of Harvest". The New Indian Express. 15 January 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ "Holiday declared for Pongal in Kerala". The Hindu. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ Norbert C. Brockman (2011). Encyclopedia of Sacred Places, 2nd Edition. ABC-CLIO. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-59884-655-3.
- ^ Sreedhar Mini, Darshana (2016). "Attukal "Pongala": The "Everydayness" in a Religious Space". Journal of Ritual Studies. 30 (1): 63–73. JSTOR 44737780.
- ^ Jenett, Dianne (2005). "A Million Shaktis Rising: Pongala, a Women's Festival in Kerala, India". Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion. 21 (1). Indiana University Press: 35–55. doi:10.1353/jfs.2005.0009.
- ^ Gupta, K.R.; Gupta, Amita (2006). Concise Encyclopaedia of India. Atlantic Publishers. p. 987. ISBN 978-81-269-0639-0. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ Knott, Kim (2016). Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. p. 58. ISBN 978-0-19-874554-9. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ^ Singha, H.S. (2005). Sikh Studies. Hemkunt Press. pp. 101–102. ISBN 978-81-7010-245-8.
- ^ Nikita Desai (2010). A Different Freedom: Kite Flying in Western India; Culture and Tradition. Cambridge Scholars. pp. 28–33. ISBN 978-1-4438-2310-4. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- ^ McGilvray, Dennis (2012). "Pukkai". In Kuper, Jessica (ed.). The Anthropologists' Cookbook. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. pp. 200–203. ISBN 978-0-7103-0543-5.
- ^ Indrakumar, Menaka (14 January 2021). "Thai Pongal: The Harvest Festival". Daily News. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ "Telangana celebrates Sankranti with traditional fervour". Telangana Today. 14 January 2021. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ Richmond, Simon (15 January 2007). Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. Lonely Planet. p. 490. ISBN 978-1-74059-708-1. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
- ^ "Grand Pongal celebration organized in Sri Lanka". The Times of India. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Thai Pongal celebrated across the globe". Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ^ "Meaning of 'Thai Pongal'". The Hindu. 14 January 2008. Archived from the original on 24 July 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ^ "Malaysian Prime Minister Greets Ethnic Tamils on Pongal". NDTV. 15 January 2015. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ^ "Mauritius celebrates Thai Pongal in style". Air Mauritius. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ Sivasupramaniam, V. "History of the Tamil Diaspora". Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ^ "Hindus celebrate Thai Pongal". Straits Times. 14 January 1937. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ^ a b Ramakrishnan, Deepa H. (20 April 2017). "Virginia passes resolution designating Pongal Day". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "Community celebrates Thai Pongal harvest festival". Harrow Times. 19 January 2015. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ^ "Statement by Liberal Party of Canada Leader Justin Trudeau on Thai Pongal". Liberal Canada. 14 January 2015. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ^ "BLS services: India visa, passport services open seven days a week in Dubai and Sharjah". Gulf Times. 20 January 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.