The month Thai as per the Tamil calendar is January. The Pongal celebration takes place in mid-January or between the 12th and 15th of the month. It is called Pongal in South India, and it has a great significance among the Tamilians. In North India, it is called Lohri. The festival is associated with the crop harvesting that farmers yield from their fields and then celebrate this day.

Celebrating Pongal is the way to be grateful to God, who provides the right atmosphere for the crops. Pongal is also a sweet that people make using the concoction of rice, jaggery, milk, and mung dal. The festival is particularly associated with Tamilians and hence also known as "Tamil Thai Pongal."

The farmers also worship the animals that help them in the field to plow and cultivate the crops. Those who are not farmers celebrate the festival as a thanksgiving to the farmers who put the effort in the fields day and night and produce food. Thus the entire society comes forward for the celebration, not just in the South but entire India. People in Tamil Nadu also enjoy the Thai Pongal songs during the celebration that say a lot about the Pongal and its importance.

The Celebration

Thai Pongal is a three days celebration. From the first day, everyone in the family wakes up early in the morning. Every member takes a bath and gets ready by putting on the new clothes. Then they come at the muttram or when the traditional Pongal sweet is made. Everyone becomes a part of this cooking, and the sweet dish gets prepared on the firewood heat that is made using three bricks. A clay pot with water is placed on the heat to start the cooking process.

People create Kolams or rangoli and expose these drawings in the sunlight. The senior member of the family cooks the Pongal dish while other members assist him with the chores. The dish mainly includes rice; when the water reaches boiling point, the rice is poured into it. Then to make it sweet, they put the brown cane sugar and cow's milk while mixing some roasted green gram, raisins, and cashew nuts as well.

When the sweet gets ready, they take some part of it and put it on a banana leaf. The family members pray to God and thank the nature, sun, and farmers for the food. The Pongal is then served among the family members with some fruits. People also celebrate the festival with their relatives and neighbors distributing Pongal with everyone. Several cultural events take place too, and everyone enjoys the festive mood with their people.

Other than celebrating the day with Pongal, the cattle hold a high significance. People worship their animals, as, without them, agriculture won't be possible. The technology might have changed things in the field, but the basic remains the same that is, animals are still an important part of farming.

That is why people decorate their animals other than worshipping them. They paint their horns with red, blue, yellow, and green colors. They smear their foreheads with Turmeric and Kumkum. The animals are bathed too, and they are adorned with garlands. People do their Puja and provide them plenty of Pongal to eat. The cattle are washed as well where the animals live.

Significance

Pongal is majorly about showing gratitude to God and celebrate the day for the crop yielded. But it is also an event where people come together, families visit their relatives, and everyone comes in a closer setting. This also helps people socialize more and understand the relationships better.

Pongal gives us the message to spread sweetness with close ones just like the sweet Pongal dish. This festival gives us a chance to forget the differences and reconcile what was wavering in the past. This is a spiritual festival that brings the message of peace, unity, and compassion.

The festival surely is celebrated with a grand gesture where everyone décors their home, people buy new clothes, and ladies take part in creating Kolams and sweet. This harvest festival brings positivity and wealth to a household.