What is Pongal?
Pongal is Tamil Nadu's four-day harvest festival, held in the Tamil month of Thai in mid-January. It thanks the Sun God, nature and farm animals for a good harvest. The main day, Thai Pongal, is also the start of the auspicious month of Thai.
Four days of Pongal
The festival starts with Bhogi, when old things are discarded and burned. Thai Pongal is the main day, Mattu Pongal honours cattle with decorated horns and garlands, and Kaanum Pongal is a day for family outings and visiting relatives.
The boiling pot
On Thai Pongal, rice is cooked with milk and jaggery in a new clay pot in the open. When it boils over, everyone shouts "Pongalo Pongal!" as a sign of abundance. Homes are decorated with colourful kolams and fresh sugarcane.