Ponggal
Author
Rakunathan Narayanan
Ponggal or Pongal also known as
Makara Sankranti is celebrated in mid-January by South Indians as a festival
marking the rice harvest. Ponggal, a mixture of sweet boiled rice is made and
offered to Surya, the Sun God. The name is derived from the Tamil word pongu,
meaning "boil over" or "flourish."
Significance
It marks the solar movement from the ninth sign of the zodiac to the tenth which the Indians mark as the month of thai. Ponggal celebrates the fruit of a farmer's labour. The rice grains cultivated are of primary significance to the Indians, as rice is the staple food. It is also a time they pay a tribute toSurya, the Sun God, as the sun is believed to be the giver of all life. Cows are decorated in garlands as they are acknowledged for helping to till the land and reaping such a rich rice harvest.
Rites and Rituals
New clothes are donned and
festivity fills the air in the household of a South Indian during Ponggal. A
colourful kolamis made out of rice paste, outlining Surya's chariot. In the
centre of this is placed a clay pot or ponggal panaai over an earthen stove. The pot
is filled with milk and fresh rice and adorned with ginger and tumeric stalks,
and marked with sacred ash. While the newly harvested rice grains boil in milk,
brown sugar or jaggery is added along with cashew
nuts, raisins and ghee. As the rice mixture boils furiously frothing freely
over the pot, family members cry out "pongollo
pongal", a celebratory cheer which transliterated means
"may this rice boil over", a wish for overflowing fortunes for the
family. Visitors greet each other with "paal
pongitha?" which means, "has the milk boiled over in your
house?". Traditionally, the rice is cooked over a brick stove in the open
yard of the house. In Singapore, with most families living in high-rise flats,
this has become a rare sight as most boil their ponggal over their gas cookers
in the kitchen.
Oil lamps are lit and placed along the perimeter of the house. In India, the landlords distribute clothes, food and money as a symbol of goodwill to the workers. Apart from the ponggal, sugar cane, spices, vegetables are also offered to the deities for thanksgiving. Offerings are also made at the local temples, where a delightful array of vibrant-coloured sarees adds life to the high-spirited atmosphere. The festivities can be caught at large Hindu temples such as the Sri Srinivasa Perumai Temple in Serangoon Road.
In India, Ponggal is celebrated on a grander scale. As the country is still steeped in the agrarian tradition, the farmer in India has more to celebrate than the Singaporean Indian who buys his groceries off swanky supermarket shelves. Truly grateful for a fruitful harvest, the Indians celebrate the festival with bull-fighting and other interesting activities. New films are also screened during this time to boost ticket sales.