Why Tamils Celebrate Pongal?
Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated by the Tamil community. It is a celebration to thank the Sun, Mother Nature and the various farm animals that help to contribute to a bountiful harvest. Celebrated over three days, Pongal also marks the beginning of the Tamil month called Thai, which is considered an auspicious month. It usually celebrated on the 14th or 15th of January each year.
Pongal is also the name of the traditional dish made and eaten during this festival. It is prepared by boiling freshly harvested rice with milk and jaggery. The word pongal is derived from the Tamil word pongu, which means “to boil over”or “over flow”. The mixture of milk and water is let to over flow in-front of the raising sun wanting for a good harvest in that year.
The day before Thai pongal Tamils celebrate Bhogi pongal. On Bhogi, people discard old and derelict things and concentrate on new things causing change or transformation. At dawn, people light bonfires with logs of wood, other solid-fuels, and wooden furniture at home that are no longer useful. This marks the end of the year's accounts and the beginning of new accounts on the first day of the harvest on the following day. Lord Indhran is worshipped during the Pongal festival for the blessing of rains.
Pongal's history dates back over 2,000 years to the ancient sangam age.It is a well-known fact that Pongal is a three-day festival and Mattu Pongal is celebrated on the third day. It is dedicated to cattle, hence the name. Prayers are offered to the bulls, cows and other farm animals. The cattle and other farm provide milk and help in various farming activities, which is why they are given due respect during the harvest festival. Also, during this day, cattle and other farm animals are allowed to take rest. They are also decorated with colours and bells. On the same day men play a game called Jallikkattu with bulls.
In forests male animals fight before mating with female So that the new born will be healthy, But in villages that was not possible we cannot let bulls fight each other because they were involved in farming, So Tamlis created a game jallikkattu before 2000 years.
Bulls are allowed to run on the field from vaadivaasal mens have to jump on the bull and stop. The bull serenader is the loser the man who makes the bull serenader is the winner. The bulls running without surrendering are used for mating.
In whole, this is a festival of transformation, farming, gratitude and joy.
