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Essay on Pongal: Pongal, also known as the Thai Festival, is a harvesting festival for Tamils. The festival is celebrated magnificently in the month of mid-January worldwide. As per the solar calendar of Tamil, the festival is celebrated in respect of God Sun in the Tamil month of Thai.
It is interesting to note that the word Pongal means ‘Boiling Over or Overflow’. This term symbolizes abundance and prosperity related to the season of harvesting. The celebration of the festival spans four days in Tamil Nadu. The four days of the festival are Bhogi Festival, Thai Pongal, Mattu Pongal, and Kaanum Pongal. Each day of the festival holds its significance and is celebrated with rejoicing.
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Essay on Pongal in 100 words
Pongal is a traditional festival rooted in the history of the Chola Empire. It is believed to have originated in the Sangam Age from 200 B.C. to 300 A.D.
Derived from the word Pongu, which means ´overflow or boil over´, Pongal is prominently celebrated in the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and in Pondicherry..
The center of attraction of the festival is the preparation of a special dish, named Pongal, which is prepared by the women using jaggery and grains in an earthen pot. It is believed that the spilling of the dish over the pot symbolized the happiness and prosperity of the family.
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Essay on Pongal in 200 words
Pongal is one of the thanksgiving festivals in southern India. Some famous stories are related to the festival, which shows gratitude towards God, the sun, the earth, and the cattle.
Pongal is a 4-day festival, associated with four traditional stories. One of these stories is related to Lord Krishna, who lifted the famous Govardhn Parvat, on his finger to save the local people from a rainstorm. The day is celebrated as Govardhan Puja and emphasizes the importance of nature and humans’ responsibility towards it. The second tale is about the Lord Indra, also known as the God of Rain. It is believed that Indra was angry with the people of Earth. Instead of working hard for the future, humans became lazy due to abundant harvests. To teach them a lesson, in response, Indira sent a wild bull to destroy the entire harvest of crops on Earth. However, Lord Ganesha tamed the bull and saved the reaped crops. On this day of Pongal, the people discard all past belongings and celebrate the cleaning of the past.
The stories related to Pongal reflect the contribution and significance of the festival in the lives of people and why they should celebrate it.
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Essay on Pongal in 400 words
The festival of Pongal has its historical roots in Dravidian culture. The festival has been celebrated as Thai Niradal in the Sangam age which is around 200 B.C. to 300 A.D. It is believed that during the period of Thai Niradal, unmarried girls offered to pray for the country´s agricultural prosperity.
The basic highlight of the festival is the four days which are Bhogi Pongal, Thai Pongal, Mattu Ponga, and Kaanum Ponga. All the days have their unique importance and attraction of the harvesting festival.
Thai Pongal is the first and main day of the festival. The day is dedicated to the family and includes the cleansing and discarding of all old belongings that are no longer in use. Here, the discarding symbolizes welcoming the new and throwing out the old. Prayers and thanks are offered to the King of God.
People wear new clothes and decorate their homes for the new beginning. Different Pongal dishes are arranged to express communal gratitude and expressions of love and togetherness are celebrated among the family members.
The second day of Pongal is celebrated as Surya Pongal or the Thai Pongal. The day is dedicated to the God of Energy and Light, The Sun. People decorate their floors with beautiful patterns called kolam. Kolam often called muggu are geometrical lines that are drawn around the pattern of dots. Muggu is drawn at the entrance of the home to welcome the Goddess Lakshmi and to drive away the evil spirits.
On this special day, the women of the family boil the milk with rice and let it fall on the ground. It is believed that the free boiled milk symbolizes prosperity and abundance. Later on, the dish, which is known as Pongal, is served to the Sun with several other dishes prepared to celebrate the festival.
The third day of the festival is called Maatu Pongal. The day is dedicated to cattle and their importance in the lives of agriculture and humans. Maatu Pongal honors the livestock for helping the humans in growing crops. Moreover, traditional games like Jallikattu which is also known as a bull-taming sport, showcase the strong bond between humans and animals.
The festival of Pongal concludes with the last type of Pongal, popularly known as Kaanum Pongal. Families come together and celebrate the festival by visiting religious places and enjoying delicious food. Young members of the family seek the blessings of the elders, celebrate the gatherings, and bond with happiness.
In conclusion, Pongal is a festival that has its unique history and significance. The long days of celebration thank Mother Nature for bestowing sunlight, rain, wind, and other important factors that help the crops grow healthily.
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FAQs
Pongal is a festival celebrated in South India, mainly in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The festival is named after the Tamil month of ¨Thai¨ which falls in mid-January. The term Pongal also means, boiling over, which symbolizes the prosperity related to the harvesting of crops.
The importance of Pongal represents nature and humans’ responsibility towards it. The Pongal festival shows the special significance of cattle in human lives.
Pongal means, to boil or overflow.
The festival is celebrated in respect of the Sun and other natural gifts that help in growing crops.
Pongal is mainly celebrated in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Puducherry.
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