The oldest form of worshipping a power which is thought to be controlling the lives of earthlings was the practice of worshipping the Sun God. This form of worship prevailed not only in India but also in many sun rich countries such as India, Egypt, Mesopotamian countries and the South American countries. With Christian and Islamic invasions, sun worship gradually disappeared but the practice is still identified in Hinduism, as Gayathrimanthra which is devoted to sun worship and there are many sun temples in India such as the Konark and the Odisha.
Pongal – breakfast meal
The word Pongal refers to a pot of boiled rice that includes milk, rice, sugar or jaggery. Usually Tamil families cook Pongal for the breakfast meal on that day and this can be compared with kiribath, as made by the Sinhalese on Sinhala New Years day. On Pongal day, milk is boiled in an earthen pot and allowed to spill over and rice and other ingredients are then included into the pot to prepare the sweet rice.
The word ‘Pongal’ has another meaning too. A person expressing his anger, happiness or sudden feeling that he is unable to control is also known as ‘Pongal’. Once Pongal day dawns, the feeling of happiness, families getting together, friends and relatives joining in marks the cheerful days ahead.
In Tamil Nadu, the Pongal festival continues for four days as opposed to Sri Lanka where it’s a two-day Festival. The first day, January 13 known as Bogi, families collect used and unwanted items in their houses and burn them. It is a day of cleaning. The second day, January 14 is known as Soorya Pongal where sun worship is carried out. It’s an ancient practice of giving thanks to the sun for helping farming communities to achieve better crops and the rich harvests. Excessive rain or excessive heat could hamper a good harvest and leave farmers high and dry. Farmers thank the Sun for providing them a moderate and arable climate to cultivate their crops.
On the third day, farmers pay gratitude to the cattle they own for providing them milk, meat, skin, fertiliser, transport, and being a helping hand in farming and finally carrying loads of farm products from place-to- place to make good the sales. On Mattupongal day, cattle are given a bath early in the morning before being decorated with a pottu on the forehead and are also given a healthy meal with sugar cane and bananas.
On the fourth day, people begin to move around to visit friends and relatives. This is known as day of meeting and in Tamil Nadu it is known as ‘kaanum (meeting) Pongal.
River bank civilisation
During the river bank civilisation, farming families settled around the riverside and were involved in crop cultivation and trained cattle to work for them while using their milk and meat for their protein needs. Researchers say that there were traces of Pongal being celebrated in 200 BCE. The Chola king, Kulothungan, the first, (1070- 1122 CE) is said to have presented a piece of land to the Veeraragava temple, in Thiruvallur, Chennai to conduct Pongal. The habit of worshipping the sun God would have been in practice before the belief in the Creator or God or religion. Priests came later into society.
This celebration is an occasion for people to get into celebration mode to get away from stress. Another aspect is during the heavy rainy season or a gloomy winter which draws people indoors who stay inactive until the end of the season. Spring time follows immediately after the rainy or winter season. They see a bright sun in a clear blue sky after a long time while nature turns lush green and humming birds are around blossoming trees. This makes people happy and creates a mood for merry making and celebration. In western countries people are happy during this time of the year and make pleasure trips, have parties outside and gather on beaches. In countries such as India and Sri Lanka, where winter is not experienced, they welcome the spring that follows a long rainy season.
Thanking the sun
The Pongal Festival is not restricted only to the Hindus or the Tamils. It’s the ancient habit of thanking the sun, farmland and cattle at the beginning of spring time. This festival also gives enjoyment to youth to be happy indulging in village sports exposing their youthfulness and manliness to attract unmarried young girls. These activities in fact promoted fertility among the young folk in an era where young and strong people were needed at the warfront as well as in the farmland. At that time many faced premature death due to war and disease. There was high mother and child mortality. Society had to curb these losses by promoting fertility and having springtime gala activities.
In ancient Rome, there were many such Spring festivals such as Floralia, a springtime celebration associated with flowers, Hilaria, which is celebrated in March and characterised by joyful merriment, sacrifice and games, Sathurnalia, a festival devoted to the Roman God Saturn for harvest and farming, Fornacalia, the Roman Festival celebrated on February 17th to honour goddess of the oven where bread is baked to make sure the bread wouldn’t be over baked. There are more such festivals such as Consualia, Liberalia and so on where the ancient Romans welcomed Spring.
Thanksgiving Day is a special day in the US with it being a federal holiday and celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, where people thank god for providing them a good harvest and healthy cattle. The early Americans, who migrated to unknown territories, began to cultivate and raise cattle in unfamiliar land. So they thank god for a good harvest and store grain for the upcoming winter season. American farmers gathered in their villages to enjoy good food and for merry making and later visit neighbours and relatives with gifts.
Sinhala Avurudhu could be considered as one such Spring festival where Buddhists welcome the New Year by cooking kiribath, sweetmeats and sharing it with friends and relatives. In every country, one can see Spring festivals associated with thanking the Sun god, their own god or goddess, preparing special food items and merry making. If one looks deep into the celebrations, these festivals are aimed at youth with fertility in mind.
Spring festivals
Thai Pongal is an ancient thanksgiving day similar to the Roman and Greek spring festivals. In Tamil Nadu villages it is celebrated in grand style and continues for ten days or more with village sports also thrown in for good measure. The unique sport of Jallikattu or taming the fierce bull has been revived by the Dravidian state Government which has become the central point of the festival. Full grown bulls are specially trained to be fierce when let loose on the playground. Young villagers rush towards the bulls and try to tame them by getting a hold of their horns. It is said that the owner of the bull would give his daughter in marriage to the youth who tames his bull. This is no longer in practice now but Pongal is a time when young boys and girls get to know each other and many of these encounters end up in marriage.
Pongal is no longer considered a Hindu religious festival and can be called Thanksgiving day, a practice carried out in many countries over the years.
