Thai Pongal

An auspicious start to the New Year:

Panchamee Hewavissenti

This article is based on an interview with Prof. Dr. Gnanaa Kulendran

Hindus all over the world celebrate one of the major Tamil National festivals Thai Pongal today. According to Hindus, this is regarded as the first day of their calender. The sun has travelled a complete round before beginning its journey to North again on Thai Pongal day. The day before Thai Pongal is known as the Poki festival.

On that day they get ready for the festival following day. They discard old equipment and replace them with new implements in the new year. Everything will be cleaned, fresh and radiant during Pongal.

They decorate the entrance with mango leaves and young coconut fronds. Thai Pongal rituals are observed by Hindus in all corners of the world, as traditional materials are available to them.

Hindus get up early on this holy day and have a ritual bath. They put on new clothes and start drawing Kolams, a kind of art associated with Hindu Culture. Kolam is a sort of painted prayer. Kolams are believed to bring prosperity to house.

Before sunrise the floor is cleaned and moistened and Kolam is drawn for artistic and divine purposes. Kolams, which is also called as Rangoli, are ornamental designs with geometrical and symmetrical patterns.

The wisdom behind drawing Kolam is to provide food for other animals such as birds, ants and some small critters.

The rice powder or floor which is used to draw Kolam invites those critters and they will eat it. This is a sign to invite all in to home on the day of Thai Pongal. This depicts a universal law of benevolence and compassion. This brings forward a noble human quality of helping every creature to live on Earth.

They make an idol of the God Ganesha out of fistful of cow dung or saffron and on top of that they place a kind of grass and it's called Pillaiyar. This religious ritual is done in the Brahma Murthi around 4.30 a.m.

They usually put the Pillaiyar in sea. Those who live in rural areas where they find no seas at their vicinity they can put it in the river or bury under a plant. The purpose of putting in sea or soil is to prevent Pillaiyar from being trampled. Moreover cow dung and saffron are utilised as disinfectants.

Hindus get up early morning and await the sun rise. It's a ravishing experience. They regard the sun as the universal food provider and defy it. Thai Pongal is to pay gratitude to the sun which helps to grow vegetation. The sun is very important in the process of photosynthesis, the process of food production in trees.

When the sun rises, they keep a new pot filled with rice on the hearth made by them specially for Thai Pongal. When it boils and starts to overflow opposite the doorstep of the house, everyone in the family gathers around the boiling pot clapping "Pongalo Pongal" which literally means "it is boiling it is boiling".

The direction in which the milk overflows may it be West, South, North, or East is considered auspicious. After the food is cooked it's served in fresh banana leaves. On Thai Pongal day they eat two kinds of Pongals - Ven Pongal and Sakkara Pongal.

Sugar cane is also among one of the traditional foods. Everyone in the family gets together and enjoy the food served with cheer. This also enhance the togetherness of the family members and improve the communication and the bond between them.

Thai means the month of January, Pongal means boiling. Thai Pongal is celebrated to encourage farmers. Because without them we will have to go without food.

This is basically an agricultural celebration to honour the valuable contribution of farmers.

Thai Pongal is observed as a festival of harvest. By this time farmers having reaped their harvests are ready with new products to solemnise this major agricultural festival. One purpose of this celebration is to motivate farmers to commit them to hard work and effort.

To celebrate Thai Pongal, people go to the market and buy vegetables, rice, fruits, flowers and food items. It is a way to help farmers when people purchase products. This increases unity and quality of helping each other.

Hindus celebrate Thai Pongal throughout the week. In Tamil Nadu the Government announces a week's holiday in the state. This is the time they enjoy to their heart's content. They visit each other, exchanging gifts to cement the bonds. Children are very happy as they wear new garments and receive a lot of gifts.

After the Poki festival, the following day is the big Pongal celebration. After the Pongal celebration the second day is called the " Mattu Pongal" which is celebrated in honour of cows which help a great deal in agricultural industry.

After the Mattu Pongal they celebrate Virgin Pongal ( Kaanam Pongal) in which elders bless young ones. In Southern Tamil Nadu, Virgin Pongal is celebrated by unmarried girls by playing in the river.

This is the Hindu's holy and favourable month in which Hindus like to do all their auspicious work. Especially weddings are held in this period.

Though Thai Pongal is celebrated everywhere in the world there can be slight differences in observing the festival due to lack of traditional resources. For example, in Western countries when the food is prepared they don't have banana leaves to serve. But in most countries alternatives are available which are quite similar to natural ones.

Even little children who live in those countries are unable to speak even a single word in Tamil but on the Thai Pongal day they wear their traditional Vatti (white sarong) and the shawl to reinforce their identity.

Whatever the ethnic group is, everyone tries to shield their identity in the modern world. Identity for a particular nation is not their dress code alone but their proud tradition, culture and rituals equally contribute for that. Hindus in the West try their best to stick to their dignified tradition for continuance.

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Professor Dr. Gnanaa Kulendran is a well versed personality in Hindu Culture and the religion. She has researced on Hindu Culture. The Professor elaborated her views on Thai Pongal to the Daily News.

She is a former Professor and Head Department of Music and Centre for Advanced Bharatha Natyam Post Doctoral Research University, Tahnjavur Tamil University, India. She is the author of 12 research books on Music and Dance.

The best book prize was awarded for " Bharatha Isai Marapu" by the Tamil Nadu Government in 1996. She recevied international recognition for the research finding " Karaikkul Ammayar - Mother of South Indian Music".

The finding accepted and proclaimed in the 12th World Tamil Research Conference in 1995. Published in English and Tamil in 1996 by the Department of Tamil Development and Culture, Tamil Nadu, India.

She was also conferred the award for eminent Musicologist Swami Vipulananda in 2004 by the prestigious Karanthai Tamil Sangam of Tamil Nadu.

She was nominated for "Woman of the Year 2003" by American Biographical Institute, U.S.A. She is one of the members and Panel of Experts in the global programme of the Tamil Virtual University, Government of Tamil Nadu, India.