Thai Pongal Festival..!! A festival of happiness & prosperity..!!
According to tamil tradition, there is evidence that pongal festival celebrations have been taking place in tamil history since the Sangam period, about 1000 years ago. Today is Thai Festival!! pongal, an important festival of Tamils, is being celebrated today with great pomp. Every year, the day after Margazhi and the birth of Thai is celebrated as pongal Festival. On pongal, the festival of farmers, we thank farmers, nature, and all those who help in agriculture. According to tamil tradition, there is evidence that pongal festival celebrations have been taking place in tamil history since the Sangam period, about 1000 years ago. This festival marks the prosperity and happiness of farmers during the harvest season. Ancient literature and books describe the pongal festival as a social celebration and a time of offering to nature.
The month of Thai is the season when the crops sown in the month of Aadi are harvested and the benefits are reaped. pongal festival is a festival where the rice paddy obtained from the harvest is mixed with water, milk and ghee and put in a new pot and made into a pot and offered to the sun and the cow. This festival is celebrated by many names in many states of India, not only in tamil Nadu. It is the time to bid farewell to the cold season and welcome the sun. In Karnataka, this festival is called makar sankranti Sukki. This is also mainly a harvest festival for farmers. In Assam, makar sankranti is celebrated as Mak Bihu. On this day, people celebrate by holding feasts, buffalo fights, and traditional Assamese competitions. In Punjab, it is celebrated as Lori. Like our bhogi Pandaikai, people light a fire with logs and pray around it.
In modern times, there have been some changes in the pongal festival. Instead of the pongal pot, pongal is also kept in a gas stove, cooker, or other vessels. Although the way pongal is celebrated and the ways of worshipping have changed over time, the intention of expressing gratitude to nature and farmers, and the desire to celebrate together in unity, remains the same. Having been a part of tamil tradition for centuries, the essence of the pongal festival still conveys the same sweetness and cultural pride and is a testament to the enduring bond between humans and nature.