Pongal is a South Indian festival that is particularly celebrated by Tamilians. As per the Tamil language, Pongal means “to boil.” The festival is celebrated for four days, each one containing different activities. The festival comes in the month of January-February during the solar equinox. It is a harvest festival that arrives when the harvesting of crops like rice and sugarcane is performed.

This way, Pongal is more like a thanksgiving festival that people celebrate to show gratitude to God for providing them food to eat and live. They thank Sun and Lord Indra for making the right environment on Earth to grow the crops.

If we go into the history, Pongal at least dates back to 200 BC–300 AD or the Sangam age. It is also called Thai Thirunaal because the festival is celebrated on the first day of the Tamil month of Thai pongal that is mid-January.

Pongal Celebrations During the Sangam Age

Pongal is a celebration of three days; each day signifies something different, and people perform the needed rituals. It is considered the day when God’s days begin again after a six-month-long night.

On the first day when Pongal begins, farmers worship the Sun and Earth. They also worship the plows and sickles by smearing them with sandalwood paste. These are the most important tools for a farmer, and hence this is their way to worship their tools.

Digging deeper into the history, the festival was then known as “PavaiNonbu,” during which the young girls would refrain from milk, oiling their hair, and using harsh words. It was believed that doing so would attract wealth and prosperity to the family. The girls would bathe early in the morning and worshiped Goddess Katyayani.

This practice was then carried on, and now it has transformed into modern day Pongal, which is also known as Lohri in North India. All the farmers rejoice in joy when they yield the crops after so many months of watering and fertilizing them.

Legends Related to Pongal

There are many stories about why Pongal is celebrated. Let’s hear some of the most famous ones.

According to one legend, once Lord Shiva asked his vehicle Basava to go on Earth and ask people there to have an oil massage and bathe every day, and to eat only once a month. Basava went to Earth, and by mistake, he asked people to eat daily and have a bath only once a month.

When Shiva got to know about it, he got all infuriated and cursed Basava to live on Earth forever. Shiva told him to help people plow their fields and produce crops. That is why, during the celebration, the worshipping of cattle also takes place.

Another legend of Pongal is related to Lord Krishna and Indra. Once Krishna, during the childhood, told the Brajwasis not to worship Indra. It was the belief of the village people that if they worship Indra every year, there will be plenty of rain to produce the crops.

That year no one worshipped Indra, and in a fury, Indra made the entire village encounter a huge flood. Krishna, by lifting the GovardhanaParvat, protected all the people and the cattle. This act put everyone in awe and made Indra realize his mistake; he understood that Krishna is the ultimate God.

Since that day, people also worship the GovardhanaParvat as a provider of resources.

Pongal Celebrations

As this is the time when the days of God begins again, people conduct a special Puja for Sun. People make a sweet called Pongal in their homes. They fill a clay pot with Pongal that almost overflows. This overflown pot signifies abundance and prosperity. This Pongal is then offered to God as a sign of gratitude.

People worship the tools they use for harvestings, such as the plows and sickles. The day is celebrated for three days, where the first day is known as Bhogi pongal. On this day, people separate all the useless stuff and clean their homes. On the second day, which is Surya Pongal, they worship the Sun. On the third and final day, it is Mattu Pongal, which is about worshipping the cattle such as cows and oxen as they help the farmers in the field.