Thai Pongal or Thamil�s Festival
by Pa. Thirunaavukkarasu, Website: http://www.intamm.com
translated by Sendhil Kumar Cheran

Thai Bathing [thai neeraadal]

During the first day of the month of Thai, a special ritual bathing is undertaken. The celebration of this day can be thought of as a type of special festival or holy day for Thamils. The celebration of Thai 1st became a custom during the last part of the Sangam age. According to the Sangam era literary work Paripaadal, this day is related to the Thiruvaathirai festival. Having spent the entire month of Maarkazhi praying to god and observing ritual fasting, young virgins celebrate the last day, Thai 1, with the Thai Bathing. According to the work Kaliththokai, the rituals during the month of Maarkazhi are observed in hopes that it will lead to marriage to a good husband. Both the Maarkazhi month rituals and the Thai 1st bathing ritual are practiced today. It was about these rituals that Aandaal�s Thiruppaavai and Maanikkavaasakar�s Thiruvempaavai appeared in the world of Thamil literature.

Pongal in the Present

Thai Pongal can be thought of as the Thamil�s national festival. The sun has made one complete round before beginning its journey north again on the day of Thai Pongal. The Thai Pongal celebration can also be thought of as a harvest festival. It�s at this time of year that the farmer, having reaped the rewards of his hard work, can celebrate this major agricultural festival. In the thamil-speaking world, this festival is celebrated over the course of 3 days. The first day is the Poki festival during which old things are removed and discarded. The second day is the big Pongal celebration. The third day is Cow Pongal [maattup pongal]. The fourth day is known as Virgin Pongal. Alternately, the fourth day is celebrated as �Kaanum Pongal� during which blessings are received from elders. In southern Thamil Naadu, Virgin Pongal is celebrated by unmarried girls by playing in the river and making pongal and eating it there. In northern Thamil Nadu, people spend the day of �Kaanum Pongal� visiting close relatives or tourist sites.

People, houses, and cows all take on an air of freshness and radiance during Pongal. There is also a Thamil saying, �When Thai is born, a way will be born.� [thai piRanthaal, vazhi piRakkum.] It is common for Thamils to hold weddings during the month of Thai. Pongal is a lot of fun for children. They get new clothes, eat two types of pongal [veNpongal and sarkkaraip pongal], and eat sugarcane [karumbu]. The next day, Manju virattu or Jallikkattu is celebrated on a grand scale. In Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and other states, Pongal is celebrated under the name Mahaa Sangaraanthi.

During the three day Pongal celebration, programs about Thamil literature are aired on radio and television. Thamils send each other greeting cards during the days preceding Pongal. Maattup pongal is also celebrated as Thiruvalluvar day. On this day, the Thamil Naadu government awards prizes to the year�s best Thamil books.

Historical Documentation

According to the stone carvings [kalvettu] at Thiruvotriyoor, Pongal was celebrated during the time of Raasaraasa chozhan. This festival was known as the �Puthiyeedu� festival. It is thought that Puthiyeedu meant the first harvest of the year.

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