Thai Pongal: Thanksgiving festival of Tamil farmers

A community Pongal pot

In a bid to thank the spirit of nature or the earth, sun and farm animals, Tamils- the farmers in particular – celebrate the Thai Pongal Festival on the first day of the month of Tamil Calendar Thai. 

Observers have hardly any occasion for large gatherings in celebrating Thai Pongal as it is celebrated as a family festival.

Farmers offer the first harvest of their cultivation to the sun, in the form of cooked sweet rice. 

They do not also forget to make this an occasion to show gratitude to the farm animals, who contribute to the success and prosperity of agriculture in a big way. 

In the past farmers appreciated the importance of the nature spirits, the sun and rain and probably before the invention of agricultural and farm implements and equipment, the valuable contribution provided by farm animals. 
Hence their first ceremony of the year was thanksgiving ceremony and especially to the sun which influences weather and hence has an immense influence on the outcome of the yield.

This is the celebration of previous year’s achievements with bountiful reap and also a celebration in anticipation of prosperity during the New Year which paves way future prospects

The ceremony is being continued grandly as the farmers have not underestimated the importance of the nature spirits and the farm animals. Rice consuming populations join the farmers in this important ceremony.

Besides, it is not a one-day festival. The Thai Pongal Day is followed by a series of other related festivals in the subsequent days.

Recipients of the gratitude
The recipients of the above gratitude are farm animals including cows, oxen and buffaloes. Farmers thank the sun god for energizing them and the farm animals for helping them to produce rice in abundance. Meanwhile, the rice consumers in the rest of the population are obliged to venerate the sun and thank the farm animals for helping the farmers to produce rice and also the farmers for producing rice.

Every rice consuming human being is obliged because they cannot keep on living if not for the rice produced by the farmers with the blessings of nature and the efforts made by the farmers with the assistance of farm animals. 
Hence Thai Pongal is an occasion celebrated not only by almost all the Tamils but also by all those who consume rice throughout the world. This is probably the merriest occasion and the most popular Tamil festival celebrated worldwide.

The Epoch of Thai Pongal
Thai Pongal is celebrated in the first month of the Tamil calendar. The festive season coincides with the period when the sun enters the zodiac sign of Capricorn (Makara).

We in Sri Lanka and a large number of people in many other parts of the world suffered due to heavy rains and floods and we were compelled to depend on nature’s spirit to cast away the rain and welcome the sun. 

The Pongal means boiling (Of milk or rice) till it overflows the pot, which is seen as symbolic of prosperity and abundance. Hence the boiling and making of the sweet rice are interpreted as a harbinger of good days ahead. 
In a sense, Thai Pongal means the preparation and enjoying the first meal of the year with hopes and aspirations. In other words, this is the celebration of previous year’s achievements with bountiful reap and also a celebration in anticipation of prosperity during the New Year which paves way future prospects.

The rituals of this family festival commence with the boiling of a pot of rice at sunrise at the front doorstep of the house. 

All the members of the family gather around it and enjoy the occasion wishing one another with the delightful cry “Pongal oh Pongal, we are getting exactly what we expected.”

They have in their hearts feeling that the universe god sun and mother earth offer them a rich harvest.  

The cooked rice is called Pongal is prepared with dhal. This variety is generally called Ven Pongal. Ven means white. 

Another variety is also prepared with moong dhal and jaggery called Sakkarai Pongal. Sakkarai means is Jaggery generally the palm jaggery. They serve Ven Pongal with Vadai and spicy accompaniments. 

Pongal has many puranic stories related to the festival. The most popular one is the incident of Lord Krishna lifting Vindhan Mountain with his little finger to save his people from being washed away from a deluge and flood. 

Another interesting story related to Thai Pongal says that Lord Siva commanded Nandi to go to planet earth and tell his devotees to have an oil bath daily and food twice a week. 

However, Nandi got it all mixed up and instructed the devotees to eat daily and bathe twice a week. Lord Siva was annoyed and ordered Nandi to stay on earth and help his devotees to plough the land because people have to eat more due to the mistake done by him. 

Thai Pongal is a four-day Thanksgiving Festival starting with the Bhogi. The first day of the festival which falls on the last day of the Tamil calendar month Margazhi is called Bhogi. On this day all the people clean their houses from top to the bottom. Suriya Pongal (Thai Pongal Day), Maatu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal are held on the subsequent two days.