THAI PONGAL 2023 – By Vasu Vasudevan
Source : Qld Sri Lankan Newsletter – Dæhæna – January 2023
As we celebrate the English New year along with all our Australian friends, we must not forget that Thai Pongal, one of the major Hindu festivals, will be celebrated soon on Sunday, the 15th of January. Thai Pongal is celebrated in a grand manner in the rice growing belt of South India and Sri Lanka to mark the end of winter months and the beginning of longer days as the sun commences its journey towards the northern hemisphere (also known as Utharayana). On this auspicious day, the sun enters the zodiac sign of Capricorn or Maka, hence this day s also called Makara Sankaranthi.
On Thai Pongal day, newly harvested rice is boiled with milk and jaggery and offered to Surya or Sun God outside the
house facing East. A new earthen pot decorated with turmeric and kumkuma (vermillion) and freshly harvested rice with jaggery and milk is cooked on a fire wood lit stove. As the milk begins to boil everyone in the household joins in chorus chanting PongalOPongal. In other parts of India, this auspicious day is celebrated by distribution of alms to the poor, flying kites, decorating the house in different colours, etc.
Pongal Day is followed by Mattu Pongal, an event to honour the bulls traditionally used for ploughing and other heavy duties in the field. This is followed by Jalli Kattu, where the village youngsters try to tame the bull. It is believed that such competition allows farmers to breed superior hybrid of bulls and prepare the youth for a tough life as farmer.
Vasu Vasudevan
Vasu Vasudevan is a resident of Brisbane. A
retired Chemical Engineer currently spending
his retired life with two grand kids and pursuing new hobbies and dabbling in spirituality .
His motto : Life is too short and there is so
much to learn. So try something new.
