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SrI:

Dear Members :

Sriman Kidambi Narayanan shared some thoughts on Pongal Festival and
its significance . It is my pleasure to share them with you with his permission 
.

Have a wonderful Pongal celebration ,
V.Sadagopan

################################################################################
Dear Readers,

 I am writing as to what i know about pongal festival. It would nice if 
some one could enlighten more on this tradition festival and its 
importance in our sampradayams.

 Pongal is the only festival of Hindu that follows a solar calendar and 
is celebrated on the fourteenth of January every year.Pongal has 
astronomical significance: it marks the beginning of Uttarayana, the 
Sun's movement northward for a six month period. In Hinduism, ttarayana 
is considered auspicious, as opposed to Dakshinaayana, or th southern 
movement of the sun. All-important events are scheduled durig this 
period. Makara Sankranthi refers to the event of the Sun enteing the 
zodiac sign of Makara or Capricorn.> In Hindu temples bells, drums, clarinets 
and 
conch shells  herald the joyous occasion of Pongal. To symbolize a bountiful 
harvest, 
rice is cooked in new pots until they boil over. Some of the rituals 
performed in the temple include the preparation of rice, the chanting of 
prayers and the offering of vegetables, sugar cane and spices to the 
gods. Devotees then consume the offerings to exonerate themselves of past
 sins.

 Thai Pongal is an occasion for family re-unions and get-together. Old 
enmities, personal animosities and rivalries are forgotten. Estrangements 
are healed and reconciliation effected. Indeed, Thai Pongal is a festival 
of freedom, peace, Unity and compassion crystallized in the last hymn on 
unity in the Indian spiritual text the Rig Veda. Thus, love and peace are 
the central theme of Thai Pongal.
 Pongal signals the end of the traditional farming season, 
giving farmers a break from their monotonous routine. Farmers also perform 
puja to some crops, signaling the end of the traditional farming season. 
It also sets the pace for a series of festivals to follow in a calendar 
year. In fact, four festivals are celebrated in Tamil Nadu for four 
consecutive days in that week. 'Bogi' is celebrated on January 13, 
'Pongal' on Jan 14, 'Maattuppongal' on Jan 15, and 'Thiruvalluvar Day' on 
Jan 16. The festival is celebrated for four days. On, the first day, 
Bhogi, the old clothes and materials are thrown away and fired, marking 
the beginning of a new life. The second day, the Pongal day, is 
celebrated by boiling fresh milk early in the morning and allowing it to 
boil over the vessel - a tradition that is the literal translation for 
Pongal. People also prepare savories and sweets, visit each other's 
homes, and exchange greetings. The third day, Mattu Pongal, is
 meant to offer thanks to the cows and buffaloes, as they are used to 
plough the lands. On the last day, Kanum Pongal, people go out to picnic.
 A festival called Jalli katthu is held in Madurai, Tiruchirapalli 
and Tanjavur,all in TamilNadu, on this day. Bundles of money are tied to 
the horns of Pongal ferocious bulls which the villagers try to retrieve. 
Everyone joins in the community meal, at which the food is made of the 
freshly harvested grain. This day is named and celebrated as Tamiliar 
Thirunal in a fitting manner through out Tamil Nadu.
Thus, the harvest festival of Pongal symbolizes the veneration 
of the first fruit. The crop is harvested only after a certain time of the 
year, and cutting the crop before that time is strictly prohibited. Even 
though Pongal was originally a festival for the farming community, today 
it is celebrated by all. In south India, all three days of Pongal are 
considered important. However, those south Indians who have settled in 
the north usually celebrate only the second day. Coinciding with Makara 
Sankranti and Lohri of the north, it is also called Pongal Sankranti.




 
Best Wishes,
Kidambi Narayanan, Tokyo , Japan


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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