Pongal A Season Of Celebration And Appreciation Of Food

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Credit: YouTube Pongal Vazhthukal everyone!
Tamilians all over Malaysia are all at home today, dressed in colourful traditional costumes, preparing wonderful kolum designs and putting their claypots on a firepit to begin their four-day celebration of the bountiful harvest and prosperous year they had last year!
Among all of the Tamil or Hindu celebrations that we know of, very few of us actually know about Pongal. Of course, we have heard it a thousand times, mostly in passing. Our curiosity is piqued but a simple explanation by our Tamil friends saying, ‘Oh, it’s just a harvest festival’ is enough to make us give a non-committal ‘Oh’ and move on with our lives.
 
Not Just a Harvest Festival In actual truth, Pongal is more than ‘just a harvest festival’. It is a day of giving thanks and appreciation to God and the sun for giving plenty of harvests and food. Even though it is not applicable to most of the city-dwelling Tamils but hey, traditions like this should be uphold!
Oh, one more thing. It is common belief that Pongal is the day when deities wake up after a 6-month long sleep and those who have died during the last 6 months period gets moksha during this time.
More reason to celebrate it, right?
 
History of Pongal Before I further explain about Pongal, let’s talk about the history behind this wonderful celebration first.
Pongal celebration is believed to be dated back to almost 1000 years ago. Although it is celebrated all over India but it is done with great fervour and enthusiasm in the South especially in Tamil Nadu since most Tamilians earn a living through agriculture.
That is why, Pongal is a day made for worshipping the sun god Surya and earth goddess Bhumi as a show of gratitude for the bountiful, healthy crops bestowed to them.
 
Four Days of Shabang! This year, the harvest festival starts from 15th of January and will end on 18th of January.   For every day of the celebration period, specific traditions are observed since each day has its own importance.
The four days are named as Bhogi, Thai Pongal, Maatu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal.
 
Day 1-Bhogi Pongal Bhogi is actually the eve of Pongal. Usually it starts with a simple prayer offered to the god Indra with traditional rice or jaggery-based dishes as offerings.
Besides, Boghi gives the chance for people to clean their houses, throw out of old belongings and equipping the house with new ones.
In India, cattle owners paint the horns of oxen and buffaloes with bright colours to give a more festive feel prior to the big day. Farmers also take time to plant medicinal herbs like  neem and flaming trumpet flowers. They are believed to prevent diseases and pests from plaguing the crops. This can only happen if you plant them at the Northeast corner of your fields. So, get your compass and start planting!
 
Day 2-Thai Pongal Credit: tamilguardian.com Day two or Thai Pongal, is the main event. On this day, it is purported that the sun has entered the 10th house of the Indian zodiac, Makara or in English terms, Capricorn.
On this day, Tamilians decorate their front doors with a banner-like wreath made up of banana and mango leaves. Colourful kolams are drawn by the doorsteps. These signify their welcoming of good tidings and prosperity.
Conches will be blown throughout the day, followed by wishes of  “Pongalo Pongal!” and “Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum”. Gift-giving and grand feasts are the highlights of the second-day celebrationl.
 
Day 3- Mattu Pongal Creidt: asian-voice.com Day three of the Tamil Harvest festival is called Mattu Pongal. It is a day solely dedicated for cattle. Cattle is an important component in farming. Farmers use them to til the soil. So, it is right to show some love and appreciation to these hardworking animals.
On this day, cattle are adorned with colourful floral garlands and bells. Then, a prayer session is conducted, cattle owners will bring their prized ox, bull or cow for a round of ‘Jallikattu’ (cattle race). This sport is held generally in the evening.
In the past, it was the day when fierce bulls are chased by young youths of the village to retrieve the money that was tied to the horns of the bulls. In some villages it is held on the final day of the four-day celebration.
 
Day 4 – Kaanum Pongal All good things must come to an end. However, that does not mean you cannot end it on a high note. Pongal ends on the fourth day, known as ‘Kaanum Pongal’. This day is known as the reunion day. Many families hold get-togethers and lavish one another, with food, gifts and money.
A Bountiful Feast Credit: archanaskitchen.com In Malaysia, festival celebrations will not be completed without food. After all, we Malaysians live for food!
There are four dishes that are usually been served during the harvest festival which are the Chakkara, Venn, Melagu and Puli Pongal. All of these dishes are prepared in a claypot over a firepit.
The Chakkara is a sweet rice porridge made as an offering to deities worshipped. It is usually made using rice, coconut, mung bean and jaggery. If you prefer savoury over sweet, the Venn is the dish for you. It is typically served as a breakfast dish in Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu. It is usually served with Sambar and coconut Chutney.
For spice nuts, the Melagu is definitely your kind of dish. This spicy variant is made with pepper, rice and moong daal. Finally, no celebrations in a respectable Tamil house will be completed without including Tamarind rice in their food spread!
This delicious sourish dish is made with just two simple ingredients; tamarind and boiled rice. It is not specifically associated with the Pongal festival but is often eaten for dinner.
 
Prosperous Year Awaits Pongal is a beautiful tradition that should be preserved and practiced for years to come. It celebrates togetherness and appreciation to the future generation.
Although it is a Hindu-Tamil festival, but there’s no harm in supporting and engaging in it. After all, we are Malaysians first. Today is Mattu Pongal. I do not think we practice Jallikattu here but if you happen to see a herd of oxen, bulls or cows running towards you, run!
The post Pongal: A Season of Celebration and Appreciation of Food appeared first on Butterkicap.

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