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What is Thai Pongal?

Tricia Christensen
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Updated: May 23, 2024
Views: 12,104
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Thai Pongal is a harvest festival that is observed by the Tamils, a people who trace their origins to India, but whose population is now widely spread throughout the world. In particular you will find large populations of Tamils in Southern India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, South Africa, Singapore, and more recently many immigrants now reside in the UK, New Zealand, Australia and North America. This is a huge population group, with over 70 million people of Tamil origin in the world today. Thai Pongal may be alternately called the Festival of the Tamils.

The celebration has much in common with Thanksgiving, though the typical date for celebration is January 12-15, which corresponds with the beginning of the month of Thai. Also, unlike North American Thanksgiving, the celebration of Thai Pongal can last several days. On the main day, families awake and dress in new clothing, usually having destroyed old clothes, the day before. It is a time for families to be together, to visit with each other in the evening hours and to relax, shop, or even attend cultural events.

The main meal is actually a breakfast meal, similar to rice pudding and called pongal. It is a combination of rice boiled in milk, and jaggery. The cooking of the meal may be conducted by the oldest person in the house, and sometimes is conducted outdoors. Pongal derives from the word pongu, which means, “to cook,” but the day is not only about the cooking of this special meal.

In various parts of the world, and most particularly India, special reverence is paid to cattle on this day, and they may be painted and decorated for the holiday. Tamils also use the day to pay reverence to various gods or goddesses of the harvest. The specific god that may be thanked for a bountiful harvest is sometimes a sun God, since part of the holiday references and corresponds to the winter solstice and the birth of spring, which would more accurately take place a month earlier.

The month of Thai is always associated with rebirth, and some say that it is a month where anything may happen. It looks forward to a future and on Thai Pongal, people look forward to a joyous year, and are thankful for any fortune and abundance they have experienced during the harvest. Weddings and various celebrations often take place during Thai, since the month has such a celebratory tone. In particular, Thai Pongal is also a time to forgive arguments and renew friendships, to celebrate peace, and to enjoy family. As with Christmas, many people send greeting cards to others to wish them joy during the holiday.

The celebration of Thai Pongal can be split into several days. The first is a time when old things, like old clothes are discarded. The second day families have new clothes and cook the special rice dish. On the third day of Thai Pongal, sometimes called Maattup Pongal, cattle are reverenced, especially since it is by their work that many people produce harvests. A fourth day may be called Kaanum Pongal, and is a day for the blessing of unmarried women (virgins) by elders.

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Tricia Christensen
By Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a CulturalWorld.org contributor, Tricia Christensen is based in Northern California and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her writing. Her wide-ranging interests include reading, writing, medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion, all of which she incorporates into her informative articles. Tricia is currently working on her first novel.
Discussion Comments
By SteamLouis — On Jan 21, 2014

@fBoyle-- No. Thai is the name of a Tamil month. That's why the festival is called Thai Pongal. Sometimes it is just called "Pongal"

Pongal festival is not just a harvest festival, it's also a religious celebration. The pongal is first offered to a deity and then eaten as prasad, or offering. In Hinduism, when a food is first offered to a deity, it becomes blessed and is called prasad. It is then eaten by devotees.

Most of the religious activities take place on the first day. People wake up early to pray and visit temples.

By fBoyle — On Jan 20, 2014

So Thai Pongal festivel has nothing to do with Thais?

By bear78 — On Jan 20, 2014

My roommate is a Tamilian from South India and celebrates Pongal. She was unable to celebrate it since she is away from her family here in the US. But all of her friends and family called her from India for Pongal wishes.

From what she told me, it sounds like a fun, colorful holiday. And yes, it does sound like American Thanksgiving because there is cooking, spending time with loved ones and being thankful for what one has.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a CulturalWorld.org contributor, Tricia...
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