Thaipongal Festival

 

  

      Pongal  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  Tamil solar  calendar and usually  fall on 14  or 15  january. It dedicated to the  Surya  ,the  sun god and  correspondent to makar sankranthi ,the harvest festival under many religional names celebrated through India. The three days of the pongal  festival are called Bhogi Pongal ,Surya Pongal and Mattu Pongal .Some  tamils  celebrate a fourth day of pongal known as kaum pongal .

         

 

According  to traditional,  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 Uttarayan , The festival is named  after the ceremonial "pongal " , which means " to boil ,ooverflow " and refers to the traditional dish prepared from the new  harvest of rice boiled in milk with jagger offered to surya.Mattu Pongal is meant for celebration of cattle when the cattle are bathed ,their horns polished and painted in bright colours  ,gralands of flowers placed around their necks and processions. It is traditional an ocacasion foe decortingrice - power based kolm aartworks ,offering prayers in the home ,templea ,getting together with family and friends ,and exchanging gifts to renew social bonds of  solidarity