Pongal = Makara Sankranti?
This list is merely indicative,
not exhaustive.
It is probably more indicative
of my ignorance than anything else.
Pongal
, a harvest
festival, is THE major holiday in Tamil Nadu, bigger than
Deepavali. It is
difficult to think of it as just the "Makara Sankranti" of Tamil
Nadu.
Pongal and cricket
matches in Chennai (formerly Madras) are intimately connected.
January 13 [Last day of Tamil
month of Margazhi]
The day of the rain god, Bhogi = Indra (withdrawal of the SE monsoon)
...and the night to welcome the sun god??
Bonfires lit to burn old and discarded
household goods, to the beating of drums, Bhogi kottus (Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh)
Uruka day: Assam
January 14 [FIrst day of Tamil month of Thai, Makara Sankranti]
The day of the sun god
Pongal
(Tamil Nadu): celebrating the harvest
Makara Sankranti: Karnataka,
Maharashtra, parts of Andhra Pradesh -- people
exchange pieces of sugar-cane, molasses, pieces of dry
coconut, peanuts and
fried gram as a symbols of
generosity and kindness.
Importance
of til gul, ellu sweets (til = ellu = sesame)
Kerala, Sabarimala festival.
Magh or Bhogali Bihu: Assam
http://assamtoday.tripod.com/bihu1.htm
January
15
The day of the animal
Mattu Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Kamumu (Andhra Pradesh): cows, bulls are bathed and decorated;
bullfights
(jallikattu).
January 16
The day of sight-seeing
R.
Geeta
This page last
updated on a snowy and COLD Pongal day, January 15, 2004
