The earliest festival on the Earth-PONGAL

The ancient most festival-PONGAL

The harvest festival Pongal was celebrated when the early man started cultivating the crops. Pongal is the other form of many other similar harvest festivals of this Earth. There is no particular myth behind this great festival. But very ancient Tamil literatures have mentioned the festival as ‘’THAI PULUKU’’.
Thai is the Tamil month from which the sun changes its direction of journey. It is the day we cook the fresh rice with ghee, jaggery and moor dhal. The vast white washing process in the homes includes the thoranam decoration with the erection of fresh sugarcanes, tender coconuts, paaku and flowers.
It is the evening time in Coimbatore side to see people tie the clusters of neem leaves, drumstick flowers with aavaram flowers to denote sun’s change in path. In Madurai side people just put neem braches upon the roof.
The entire house will be cleansed with cow dung and broad kolams will be drawn by house women to welcome the month of prosperity. We have waited for our aunts and mother to finish the kolams so that we can color them.
BOHI GAVE UP TO KRISHNA
The last day of the previous Tamil month Margali will be the day to invite all new itmes into the life especially new thinking which must be healthy. This day is called as ‘’BOHI’’. This means Lord Indra who was the most superior God in India before Ramayana and Mahabaratha. He holds the Vajra- thunder bolt and governs the raining monsoon clouds. So ancient people have respected him with this day and they believed that he will visit their homes in evenings to taste the delicious ‘’sundals’’.
GOVARDHANA GIRI DHAARI
But the role of very egoistic Indra in raining for 7 days and nights has made him to loose his rank among the Indian heroes. SreeKrishna lifted the Govardhan Mountain and rescued his people and asked them to commit this day to celebrate him but no more Indra. The legend from Bahavatham says that Indra who is the symbolic form of our senses will be neglected if we are very luxurious without any responsibility. Over coming of senses with healthy enjoyment is the meaning behind the Bahavatham legend.
Tamils celebrate the harvest as Pongal. Where as Telugu people observe the day as MAKARASHANKARANTHY and Gurathys as kite festival. Any how harvest is the main motive to enjoy this festival.
Tamil Nadu and Pongal:
The first day of the Thai month is celebrated as the POO PONGAL. POO means flower and it denotes the blossoming of the new wealthy month with rich agricultural harvest in all homes in olden days as in our nation 95 percent of us were from agricultural backup.
By dawn the women and men arrange the local stove with bricks or granites and arrange several new earthen pots decorated with drawings and tied with turmeric plants and flowers. Then girls will pour the water and add cow’s milk to it and light the fire and wait till the water with milk gets boiled. The water with milk bubbles and over flows as ‘’pongal’’ and then they add new rice with moor dhal and jaggery. When it gets cooked we add cow’s ghee with roasted resins and nuts and offer to sun the primordial source of light energy.
Linking the cosmos:
This festival links the 5 natural elements. The pot represents the Earth. The water which cooks denotes the water source. The fire is already there. The air is blown to ignite the fire and the space is worshipped along with the sun. The vegetables each from one variety of plant body will be placed on plates for the rituals. The sun will be prayed for the support and feast will be offered to who ever come to the house still today.
I can still feel how many banana leaves we have cut when we were small to feed all our guests and helpers such as washermen, toilet cleaners, scavengers, vegetable sellers, flower sellers. There is a reason behind all the traditional festival of this nation.
The day just passes with meeting friends and greeting one another.
THE SECOND DAY:
This is the very special day we all look for when we were children. Yes the bulls, cows and other cattle will be washed well in rivers and pools. We have watched and praised the braveness of the people who have sharpened the horns of bulls and painted with colors and decorated with varieties of brass bells. But till now I have no guts to touch any animal. But I have enjoyed the festival. People cook new pongal and mix with bananas and sugarcanes and offer to all cattle. We also perform the rituals to cows.
The bells, ribbons and painted horns are still in my mind. The cattle will be taken for procession in the evening.
THE ANCIENT BRAVEST GAME:
‘’JALLIKATTU’’ or bull taming is one of the ancient most game in our nation. In olden days men were married after taming bulls. This is to see the physical fitness. Even there are many old enough people in Madurai villages who got married through this game.
LEGEND FROM BAHAVATHAM:
SREEMATH BAHAVATHAM says that Krishna tamed 7 wild bulls to marry Sree Radha. So the village called ALLANGANALLOOR near Madurai celebrates the best Jallikattu every year with more than 50000 audiences from all over the globe.
THE THIRD DAY:
This is the day which makes me to praise our tradition which gave enough space for girls and women in our society in olden days. This day is specially called as ‘’KAANUM PONGAL’’ or KANNI PONGAL. The day is meant especially for women and girls to share love and friendship out of their homes in beach, river banks, parks and gardens. It was not very safe for them in olden days to move out because of theft and wars. So the society has planned this day for their entertainment. I can remember that I have cried when all my cousin sisters alone were allowed inside the local park in Coimbatore on this day and I started disliking this day of Pongal. Now I understood the need for the day.
Chilapathykaaram is the ancient most Tamil literature which narrates the life of Kannagi. The literature says that in Chola empire people have celebrated this Pongal as ‘’INDRA VIZHA’’ for 27 days. People have offered rice cakes cooked with sugarcane juice and thuvar dhal to Indra’s elephant to bring monsoon clouds.
FOURTH DAY: This day is dedicated to THIRUVALLUVAR who composed Thirukural. Many debates, discourses, recitation competitions will happen on this day to respect and follow Thirukural.
In our Sendurai Montessori HOC we have seeded new plants for Pongal. Children visited the near by homes to see the animal behavior of bulls and cows. They were given the lessons of animals and their role in man’s life. The Govardhan drama was acted by our adults and even many of our children have participated in the drams. They have realized the needs of man.
HOW TO COOK PONGAL?
There are 2 types of Pongal.
1. Charkarai [sweet] pongal: 1 cup of raw rice with .75 cup of moor dhal has to be soaked for half an hour. Then add water in the vessel and allow boiling. Then add milk to it. Then add the rice and dhal and allow to get cook. Add fresh cleaned jaggery with ghee and roasted resins and nuts.
Madurai people eat the pongal with banana and sugar. Some also add coconut.


2. Ven pongal:
1 cup of raw rice with half cup of moor dhal has to be cooked along with fried green chilies, curry leaves, lot of pepper, ginger, asafetida, jeeragam and nuts. It must be over cooked and added with ghee. Eat with coconut chutney and vada.

Let us enjoy the Pongal along with prayers for good support from the nature for our farmers who are going to be richest people soon. Think why?
Thank you!