Harvest Festival

In the early days of the New Year, as the winter gives way to spring, the cultural heartland of Southern India gears up to celebrate a harvest festival that honours the intrinsic bond between nature and humanity - Pongal. Translated loosely as ‘flowing over’, the term is also connotative of the gradual change of seasons and the spilling over of celebrations from the last day of Margazhi to the first days of Thai, two subsequent months in the Tamil solar calendar. Coinciding with Makara Sankranti and spanning three days, the festival is replete with unique rituals and customs of symbolic significance that add depth and meaning to Pongal.

Bhogi: Igniting the Spirit of Renewal

The first day of the festival witnesses a profound decluttering and decoration ritual. Families clean homes, heaping old belongings to be lit into a bonfire and then decking entrances with vibrant Kolams (geometric patterns in white or coloured rice powder), plantain trees, garlands, and mango leaves - auspicious symbols believed to bring in prosperity. Bhogi offers payers to the God of rains, Indra, seeking his blessings for adequate showers in the forthcoming year. The festival day also marks a collective effort to shed mental baggage, creating space for positivity and growth.

Surya Pongal: Sun-kissed Celebrations

On the second day, the eponymous sweet dish integral to the harvest festival - Pongal - takes centre stage. In an open space with ample sunlight, families gather around the Pongal Paanai, an earthen pot used to prepare the rustic delicacy. Decorated with turmeric roots and flowers and flanked by sugarcane stalks, this pot sits atop a makeshift stove of bricks and wood, housing a mixture of milk, freshly harvested rice, and jaggery. Each family member takes turns to stir the pot, symbolizing unity and shared responsibilities. As the concoction in the Paanai begins to boil and spill over, homes and streets echo with the chants of ‘Pongalo Pongal' - a collective wish for prosperity and good fortunes in the year ahead. Families then gather to offer the first Pongal to the sun, a gesture of gratitude for the abundance bestowed upon them.

Maattu Pongal: Honouring the Sacred Cattle

As the festival enters its third day, Maattu Pongal, the focus shifts to the unsung heroes of agriculture – cattle. From bathing the bovines to smearing their heads with Manjal (turmeric) and Kumkumam (vermillion), painting their horns, garlanding and prostrating before them, farmers perform a series of rituals to thank the animals for their contribution to agriculture. The cattle also enjoy a day of rest and a sumptuous feast of pongal, jaggery, honey, and fruits. Mattu Pongal garners attention with traditional rural events, including bull-taming competitions and cultural games. The festive day also serves as a testament to the symbiotic relationship between humans and animals, upholding a sacred bond in agrarian life.

Ringing In Festivities with Traditional Sarees

A celebration rife with newness and colours, Pongal also draws its festive aura from traditional attire, especially sarees. From exquisite Kanjivarams to South silk sarees and handloom cotton drapes, a plethora of weaves are ideal to don on this harvest festival. These drapes serve not just as a manifestation of cultural identity but also as a bridge connecting the past and present generations through a rich heritage.

A jubilant festival enriched with rituals and customs of symbolic significance, Pongal embodies the spirit of gratitude, renewal, and the celebration of nature's bounty. Beyond an event for religious and cultural festivities, the occasion beckons families to come together, share meals, strengthen bonds, and rejoice in the blessings of a successful harvest.

A curation of heritage weaves that mirror the spirit of the festive season, Taneira’s Pongal saree collection is now live in our stores and website. Shop them here.