Top

       alt text alt text alt text alt text alt text alt text alt text alt text alt text alt text alt text alt text alt text

Pongal - Harvest Festival Of South India

Bookmark on - Add to: Digg Add to: Del.icio.us Add to: Reddit Add to: StumbleUpon Add to: Netscape Add to: Furl Add to: Technorati Add to: Spurl

June 24, 2008

In an agriculture based civilization the harvest plays an important part. Farmers, who cultivate land, depend on cattle, timely rains and the Sun for a bountiful and successful harvest. Therefore, traditional Indian harvest festivals are held once a year to express their gratitude.

The Pongal festival is one such festival in the Tamil tradition of thanksgiving ceremonies held to celebrate and thank the spirits of nature, the Sun and farm animals for helping provide a rich and abundant harvest. It is a festival to encourage social cohesiveness and unite people by bringing them together. Held every year particularly among the farming community, the festival of Pongal marks the end of harvesting season. This is when the markets start receiving stacks of sugarcanes, turmeric saplings and a horde of farm products. The run-up to Pongal is as exciting as celebrating the occasion that is believed to bring in prosperity. Pongal is celebrated in South Indian States with much excitement and enthusiasm.

The South Indian festival of Pongal begins with early family celebrations, as every member of the family gets up early in the morning, bathes, puts on new clothes and gathers in the front of the garden to cook the traditional pongal or rice pudding. The front garden is pre-prepared for this ceremonious cooking and decorated with kolam drawings. Some Hindu scholars believe that the rice is ceremoniously cooked on Thai Pongal, because of its importance as a potent symbol of auspiciousness and fertility. The evenings are spent attending cultural events or visiting relatives and friends. Traditional events like ox-cart races and other sports involving bulls are organised in villages.

Deriving its name from the rice pudding made from freshly harvested rice, milk and jaggery, each of the four days has special religious significance where most urban people celebrate second day as the main festival. On the first day, people clean out their homes thoroughly and all unwanted things are thrown in the bonfire lit in the evening. Actual celebrations begin on the second day with the worship of Surya, the Sun God Surya. Women rise before sunrise to make elaborate kolum patterns in front of their doorways or home with coloured rice flour to welcome the sun. Everybody wears new clothes and new utensils or household items are bought. The four day celebration of Pongal marks a period of plenty, peace and happiness. bountiful harvest. Families gather to rejoice and share their joy and their harvests with others.

All four days of Pongal have their own significance as separate deities are worshiped on each day. On the last day of Pongal, farm animals get a special treatment, when they are allowed to rest instead of spending the day ploughing and pulling carts. They are bathed, their horns polished and painted with bright colours, decorated with beads, bells, and garlands of flowers placed around their necks.

Associated with cleaning and burning of the unwanted, the South Indian festival of Pongal symbolizes the destruction of evil.

What's More today?

alt text Some Of The Best Travel Destinations In The Country

We always look at the brighter side of view. Why do there is so much underestimation of our own country?... 

alt text Size Up Your Breast

Hello ladies! You seem little worried. Is your small size bothering you? Every problem has its solution... 

alt text Look Slim And Sexy This Winter Yet Stay Warm

The weather has lot to take from you. This may even take your style and health. No matter what, you are... 

alt text Father You Too Need Tips To Look After Your Little Ones

Taking care of children is always termed with women. But lately there has been some changes that have... 

alt text Basic Information Of Eating Onions

There are many misconceptions about eating onions. Onions have multiple roles to play. You use them as... 

alt text Massage Supplies for Great Massages

Many people who ever had a massage will tell about how good it feels. There are certain things that contribute... 

alt text Marijuana–Healthy or Not

Is everyone gripping at you because you have a love of pot? They tell you that it is bad for you and... 

alt text Put Your Best Smile Forward

Scrubbing, bleaching, strips and swishing. We have done it all to get the whitest pearly whites that... 

alt text Feelings reveal love–Love has the testimony to tell what it is

Human beings are rationally lovers but they can not understand how they reveal it.  Actually, love has... 

alt text The Negotiation Process

Negotiation is a very simple art. It involves simple steps that should be followed. Refusal to follow... 

alt text Gout–the facts

The most painful of all types of arthritis is gout (also called gouty arthritis). It is caused by a build... 

alt text Stress The Everyday Illness

Everyone gets stressed once in a while. Whether you had a bad day at work or even a fight with your spouse... 

alt text Affordable student destination

As summer vacations are fast approaching, finals, term papers and 8 am classes will diminish in the air.... 

alt text Procedure of plucking your eyebrows

Before you start the procedure of plucking your eyebrows it is important to moisturize them to decrease... 

alt text Plan your travel

The most important factor to be considered when you plan your travel itinerary is comfort. Some of them... 

Bottom