Hoping you, your friends, and your family had a wonderful Pongal celebration!
Yesterday, Ilankai Thamil Manram Florida had a successful Pongal celebration and picnic. We would like to extend our thanks to all who made this event possible, as well as to all who made time to attend.
Pongal, or பொங்கல், is also known as Thai Pongal, for the month of the Thamil calendar in which it falls. Pongal is a harvest celebration that traditionally lasts four days, and the dates on which it occurs is decided by the solar calendar. In 2024, Pongal fell on the dates of January 14 through January 17. The four days of Pongal are called Bhogi Pongal, Surya Pongal, Maatu Pongal, and Kaanum Pongal.
Bhogi Pongal is celebrated by cleaning the house and decorating. Old possessions are disposed and new possessions are celebrated. Surya Pongal is actually the main festival day of Pongal, when the sun god Surya is venerated. This is also the day when the pongal dish is traditionally boiled outdoors in a clay pot. It is accompanied by songs and dances. Partakers may cry “pongalo pongal” (“may this rice boil over”) as the dish begins to boil. Maatu Pongal is a day of celebration of cattle, as cattle produce many traditionally vital products. Cattle are often decorated with bright paints and flower garlands and paraded. Kaanum Pongal, the final day, is a day of community gatherings and strengthening social bonds. Revelers may come together to enjoy a meal and sugarcane.
In Sri Lanka, the festival of four days is often compressed into one or two days, with the main focus being the rituals of Surya Pongal, especially the boiling of the pongal dish.