Tamil Thai Pongo Festival - India
Pongal (தைப்பொங்கல், /ˈθaɪˈpoʊŋʌl/, also spelled Poṅkal), also referred to as Thai Pongal (also spelled Tai Pongal), is a multi-day Hindu harvest festival of South India, particularly in the Tamil community. It is observed at the start of the month Tai according to Tamil solar calendar, and this is typically about January 14. It is dedicated to the Hindu sun god, the Surya, and corresponds to Makara Sankranthi, the harvest festival under many regional names celebrated throughout India. The three days of the Pongal festival are called Bhogi Pongal, Surya Pongal and Maattu Pongal. According to tradition, the festival marks the end of winter solstice, and the start of the sun's six-month-long journey northwards (the Uttaraayanam) when the sun enters the zodiac Makara (Capricorn). The festival is named after the ceremonial "Pongal", which means "to boil, overflow" and refers to the traditional dish prepared from the new harvest of rice boiled in milk with ...