Pongal Festival

Pongal Festival is bestowed with the bliss of festivity. A major segment of the population here depends on agriculture. As a result, most of the festivals are also related to the agricultural activities of the people. These festivals are celebrated with different names and rituals in almost all the parts of India. Pongal is one of such highly revered festivals celebrated in Tamil Nadu to mark the harvesting of crops by farmers. Held in the middle of January, it is the time when the people get ready to thank God, Earth and their Cattle for the wonderful harvest and celebrate the occasion with joyous festivities and rituals.

The streets of mylapore glimmered in all colors during the pre-pongal time, many petty road side shops selling all types of festive materials was seen in the evening as the crowds started accumulating, there was no place to stand and stare! I have also captured some random pictures in and around the city during the pongal season….hope you all like it and enjoy it as I did.  

For the people who know little about the pongal festival please read the following... I hope I don’t write a long essay about it. I have made it short as possible 

 

The four-day Harvest festival is celebrated all over the state in January. The festival begins on the last day of the Tamil month with Bhogi Pongal followed by Surya

 

Pongal on the next day. It is on this day that Chakkara Pongal, a delicacy of harvest rice cooked with jaggery, ghee and cashew nuts is offered to the Sun God. The third day, Mattu Pongal is dedicated to the Cattle when cows are bathed and adored with colorful beads and flowers. Jallikattu, the bullfight is held on the last day known as Kannum Pongal.

 

First day !

The first day of the festival is called Bhogi. On Bhogi all people clean out their homes from all corners, and collect all unwanted goods. In the evening, people will light bonfires and burn what can be burnt.

 

Second day !

The second day of the festival, Surya Pongal, is the day on which the celebrations actually begins, is the first day of the Tamil month Thai. On this day, Surya, the sun God is worshipped and women will wake early on this day to create elaborate kolum on the grounds in front of their doorway or home. Kolums are created with colored rice flour placed on the ground carefully by using one's hand. This is a government sanctioned holiday for everyone around Tamil Nadu

 

 

Third day !

The third day is called Maatu Pongal, maatu meaning cattle. This day is devoted to paying homage to cattle. Cows and Bulls are decorated with paint and bells and people pray to them.

 

 

Fourth day !

The fourth day is termed as Kaanum Pongal. On this day, people travel to see other family members.

 

 

And for you all sweet lovers, My mom has given her recipe for making Sakkarai pongal (Jaggery  based rice ) with milk….

 

Sakkarai Pongal with Milk

 

This uses Milk as one of the main ingredients along with Rice.

 

Ingredients

 

    * 1 1/2 cups Raw Rice

    * 3 cups Milk

    * 1/4 cup Moong Dal

    * 12 Cashewnuts

    * 15 Kishmish pieces

    * 1 cup Jaggery (grated)

    * 1/4 teaspoon Saffron (crushed)

    * 1 teaspoon Cardamom powder

    * 4 tablespoons ghee or more

    * 2 teaspoons of grated Coconut pieces

 

Method:

 

   1. Wash the rice and dal several times. Add Milk and pressure cook.As soon as the rice and dal are cooked to softness, add jaggery and ghee. Please cook on medium fire for some time.

   2. In the meantime you can fry Cashew nuts and coconut grated in one teaspoon ghee and keep them ready.

   3. Kishmish also can be fried little . Now add cashew, Kishmish coconut (all fried in ghee) and saffron, and cardamom powder. Bring to one or two good boils Stir well. Add more ghee and serve.

 

  

Pongal, the harvest festival of Tamil Nadu, has traditionally been a good time to release films. Earlier, farmers used to make a beeline to nearby theatres during the festival as it was the only form of entertainment those days. Till the advent of one-day matches and satellite television up to mid-90s, Pongal in Chennai coincided with Test matches at Chepauk. Reminiscences Ashwin Rajagopal, a marketing consultant, cricket commentator and a die-hard fan of Kamal Haasan, “I remember the 1980 Pongal when I was just a seven-year-old I watched my first test-series; Sunil Gavaskar’s India vs Imran Khan’s all-conquering Pakistan team at the Chepauk. Kapil Dev won the match for Indiawith his all round performance and later that evening, we celebrated by watching a Kamal Haasan Pongal release.” This year, many may choose to have a slightly longer Pongal vacation. The holidays for them will begin on Jan 10 and end only on Jan 18, if they take leave on Jan 12 and 13.

 

This has brought cheer to Kollywood as the industry believes that people will have a lot more money to spend because bonus is paid at this time of the year. The weather too is pleasant in January.