Pongal
| தைப்பொங்கல் Thai Pongal | |
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| Observed by | Ethnic Tamils, most notably; Malaysian Indians Indian Americans Sri Lankan Tamils Indo-Mauritians Indian Singaporeans British Indians Indian South Africans Indo-Canadians |
| Type | Hindu Festival |
| Significance |
Harvest festival. Thanking the Hindu Sun God for agricultural abundance 4 days long |
| Celebrations | Presenting Pongal to Sun God, Temple Prayers and sharing Pongal dish. |
| Date | First day of the tenth month of Thai in the Tamil calendar |
| 2016 date | 15 January |
| 2017 date | 14 January |
| Related to |
Makar Sankranti (in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Kerala, Bihar, Goa, Karnataka, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh in India) Magh Bihu (in Assam, India) Uttarayana (in Gujurat and Rajasthan in India) Maghi (in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab in India) Maghe Sankranti (in Nepal) Shakrain (in Bangladesh) |
Harvest festival. Thanking the Hindu Sun God for agricultural abundance
Thai Pongal (Tamil: தைப்பொங்கல், /ˈθaɪˈpoʊŋʌl/)( Distinct from Telugu: Sankranthi ) is a Thanks giving to Sun God for Harvest. Tamil harvest festival (Tamil : தமிழர் திருநாள்) (English: Festival of the Tamil). Thai Pongal is a four-day festival which according to the Tamil calendar is normally celebrated from January 14 to January 17. This corresponds to the last day of the Tamil month Maargazhi, The Thai Pongal Comes on English Date of January 14 or 15 Jan As The Sun enters into Capricorn & Thai Tamil Calendar Tamil month Starts.
Thai Pongal is one of the most important festivals celebrated by Tamil people in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the Indian Union Territory of Puducherry, and the country of Sri Lanka, as well as Tamils worldwide, including those in Malaysia,Mauritius, South Africa, United States, Singapore, Canada and UK. Thai Pongal corresponds to Makara Sankranthi, the harvest festival celebrated throughout India.
The day marks the start of the sun's six-month-long journey northwards (the Uttaraayanam). This also corresponds to the Indic solstice when the sun purportedly enters the 10th house of the Indian zodiac Makara or Capricorn. Thai Pongal is mainly celebrated to convey appreciation to the Sun God for a successful harvest. Part of the celebration is the boiling of the first rice of the season consecrated to the Sun - the Surya Maangalyam.
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