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