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PONGAL
According to the traditional Hindu system, the Sun which has reached the Southern-most point, turns its journey towards North, called Uttharayanam. The sun moves from the Tropic of Cancer into the Tropic of Capricorn , thus beginning to face the northern hemisphere again and signaling bright days and better weather ahead. Since this is a geophysical event, the first day of Pongal almost always falls on January 14th (as opposed to many Indian celebrations which arbitrarily skip around the calendar and seem to Westerners to be held at the whim of the gods). This is the first major festival of the year in India, and Pongal is celebrated in a myriad of ways over India . However, nowhere is there a more intense blast of color and pageantry than in the Hindu-heavy southern area of the subcontinent, called Tamil Nadu. Come January 14, the farmers of Tamil Nadu, gear up themselves to celebrate the gayest ever mega festival the Pongal, which is affectionately, called Tamizhar Thirunal (Festival of Tamils). It is the biggest event for the farmers. What is Baisakhi to Punjabis, Bihu to Assamese and Onam to Keralites, Pongal is to Tamils. Four festivals are celebrated in Tamilnadu 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 15. Bogi festival is celebrated to rid the society of the bad and the evil. People clean up their houses, collect old clothes and unused stuff and burn them. They get a new hope that the harvest festival celebrated on the next day will bring wealth and the good to the society. The entire house is cleaned and the houses are painted white (usually with lime). All the farm animals are given a big and clean bath. They are decorated with colored powders and paints. All the junk in the houses are either burnt or thrown away. Pongal is strictly a rural festival. It is celebrated on the first day of the Tamil month 'Thai'. 'Thai' is the month that is supposed to be very auspicious for every kind of activity. On this day, people pray the Sun which makes life possible on the Earth. In rural areas, people gather in front of their houses in the streets and cook 'pongal' in clay pots. Stoves are made with stones and wood is used as the fuel. When pongal is Go To Page: 1 2
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