Тамил халқының жиынтық тойы: Понгал

Tamil Hindu harvest festival
the dish

Pongal (/'//θ//aɪ//'//p//oʊ//ŋ//ʌ//l/), also referred to as Thai Pongal, is a multi day Hindu harvest festival celebrated by Tamils. It is observed in the month of Thai according to the Tamil solar calendar and usually falls on 14 or 15 January. It is dedicated to Surya (the solar deity in Hinduism) and corresponds to Makar Sankranti, the Hindu observance celebrated under many regional names throughout the Indian subcontinent. The festival is celebrated over three or four days with Bhogi, Surya Pongal, Mattu Pongal and Kanum Pongal, observed on consecutive days. According to tradition, the festival marks the end of winter solstice, and the start of the sun's six month long journey northwards called Uttarayana when the sun enters Capricorn. The festival is named after the ceremonial "Pongal", which means "to boil, overflow" and refers to the traditional dish prepared from the new harvest of rice boiled in milk with jaggery. Mattu Pongal is meant for celebration of cattle when the cattle are bathed, their horns polished and painted in bright colors, garlands of flowers placed around their necks and processions. It is traditionally an occasion for decorating rice powder based kolam artworks, offering prayers in the home, temples, getting together with family and friends, and exchanging gifts to renew social bonds of solidarity. Pongal is one of the most important festivals celebrated by Tamil people in Tamil Nadu and other parts of South India. It is also a major Tamil festival in Sri Lanka and observed by the Tamil diaspora worldwide.

Thai Pongal is a portmanteau of two words: Thai (Tamil: 'தை') referring to the tenth month of the Tamil calendar and Pongal (from pongu) meaning "boiling over" or "overflow." Pongal also refers to a sweet dish of rice boiled in milk and jaggery that is ritually prepared and consumed on the day. The 9th century Shaiva Bhakti text Tiruvempavai by Manikkavacakar vividly mentions the festival. Temple inscriptions from the Chola period to the Vijayanagara period detail recipes similar to pongal recipes of the modern era with variations in seasonings and relative amounts of the ingredients. It is observed in the month of Thai according to the Tamil solar calendar and usually falls on 14 or 15 January and hence is also referred to as Thai Pongal. It is dedicated to the Surya, the Sun God and corresponds to Makar Sankranti, the harvest festival under many regional names celebrated throughout India. According to tradition, the festival marks the end of winter solstice, and the start of the sun's six month long journey northwards when the sun enters the Capricorn, also called as Uttarayana. The three days of the Pongal festival are called Bhogi Pongal, Surya Pongal, and Mattu Pongal. Some Tamils celebrate a fourth day of Pongal known as Kanum Pongal. Temples and communities organize free kitchen prepared by volunteers to all those who gather. It celebrates the harvest and the cooking symbolizes the transformation of the gift of agriculture into nourishment for the gods and the community on a day that when the sun god is believed to start the journey north. It is the ritual dish, along with many other courses prepared from seasonal foods for the gathering.

The festival is marked with colorful kolam artwork. Kolam is a form of traditional decorative art that is drawn by using rice flour often along with natural or synthetic color powders. It includes geometrical line drawings composed of straight lines, curves and loops, drawn around a grid pattern of dots.

The first day of the Pongal festival is called Bhogi, which marks the last day of the Tamil month Marghazhi. Bhogi is observed on the same day in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Fruits of the harvest are collected along with flowers of the season and a mixture of treats along with money is given to children, who then separate and collect the money and sweet fruits.

Surya Pongal or Thai Pongal is the second and main festive day, and is dedicated to the sun god Surya. It is the first day of the Tamil calendar month Thai and coincides with Makara Sankranti, a winter harvest festival celebrated in other parts of India. The day marks the start of the Uttarayana, when the sun enters the tenth house of the zodiac. In rural areas, people sing traditional songs while the pongal dish is cooking. People traditionally offer prayers to the sun in the open and then proceed to eat their meal. A community Pongal is an event where families gather at a public place for a ceremonial worship.

Mattu Pongal ("Madu" meaning cow) is the third day of the festival meant for the celebration of cattle. Some decorate their cows with turmeric water and apply shikakai and kumkuma to their foreheads. The cattle are fed sweets including pongal, jaggery, honey, banana and other fruits. People may prostrate before them with words of thanks for the help with the harvest. Kanu Pidi is a tradition observed on Mattu Pongal by women and young girls where they place a leaf of turmeric plant outside their home, and feed pongal dish and food to the birds, particularly crow and pray for their brothers' well being. The word kanum in the context means "to visit" and families hold reunions on this day. Communities organize social events to strengthen mutual bonds and consume food and sugarcane during social gatherings. Young people visit elders to pay respects and seek blessings, with elders giving gifts to the visiting children.

Pongal is one of the most important festivals celebrated by Tamil people in Tamil Nadu and other parts of South India. It is also a major Tamil festival in Sri Lanka. It is observed by the Tamil diaspora worldwide, including those in Malaysia, Mauritius, South Africa, Singapore, United States, Canada, and the Gulf countries. In 2017, Delegate David Bulova introduced a joint resolution HJ573 in the Virginia House of Delegates to designate January 14 of each year as Pongal Day.