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Pongal Festival Tour
A visit to the southern India during the pongal festival celebrations would reveal to the tourists the richness of this particular festival. The four day festival is held with high esteem and has a lot of significance for the people. They celebrate the occasion to herald the new harvest seasons of mainly rice but also there are many other reasons. Worshipping many gods, celebrations of relationship, and such other events mark the pongal festival in tamilnadu. During the pongal festival tour, one can easily feel the vibrant atmosphere that is prevalent in various regions and the pongal festival in India is celebrated by people from south India with their friends and families, where ever they are staying. Not only the celebrations are done in a grand manner, but the pongal festival history is also full of a rich heritage.
History And Significance :
- Pongal festival history says a lot about the reasons and the significance of the festival.
- Many people believe that the history of pongal festival in India is deeply rooted in the mythology of Lord Krishna.
- During the rains, lord Krishna uprooted the Gandhamardan hills to protect the villagers and their crops.
- Tourists on pongal festival tour can see the festival being celebrated across 4 days, during the month of January from the 13th up to 16th.
- And each of these days have their own significance in accordance to the pongal festival history.
- The first day is known as the Bhogi pongal, where people start their pongal festival celebrations by cleaning the homes and burning the unwanted things.
- Surya pongal is the second day and it is the time when the actual pongal festival in tamil nadu starts off.
- On this day, the Surya God is prayed and the new month of Thai begins.
- Various artistic paintings and ‘jhotis’ are created in front of the houses to welcome the gods.
- The third day gets exciting with the painting and anointing the bulls and cows to start their harvest with prayers for keeping the animals healthy for the good crop and this is therefore called as mattu pongal.
- The last and final day of pongal festival in India is gracefully signed off with the kannum pongal which is time for exchanging pleasantries and wishing all the best to everyone by giving gifts.
- Immediately following the pongal festival celebrations, the next day is celebrated as thiruvalluvar day which is a mark of respect to the greatest literary icon of south India.
Date And Season :
- The pongal festival tour is best taken up by the tourists during the month of January from the 13th to the 16th where the pongal festival in tamil nadu is celebrated with all the vigor and fervor.
- In the tamil language, this period marks the start of the Thai month or the harvest season.
Foods :
- On the second day during the surya pongal, a preparation from rice, jaggery and milk is made, which is also the main recipe, prepared in almost every home which believes the pongal festival history.
- This recipe is also known as pongal and is prepared customarily in an earthen pot where the different ingredients are mixed and allowed to boil until spilled.
- The food is first given to the gods in a banana leaf and then is distributed among the family members and friends.
- Along with this, many other items like vada, payasam, sugarcane, etc are also offered to the gods.
- During the pongal festival in India, people prepare the best of the delicacies and the foods are a gourmet’s delight.
- Vadas, idlis, dosas, etc are the common south Indian dishes but on this occasion, they have a different flavor.
Regional Significance :
- The pongal festival celebrations are done in every place in the world where people from south India are there.
- For them, the pongal festival in India is the greatest occasion for prayers, foods and enjoyment.
- The local food items are prepared and people take out processions. In some places, the mattu pongal is celebrated by tying currency notes on the horns of the bulls and people try and take them from the horns.
- The festival of pongal is celebrated all over India on the same date but according to the regions have different names.
- In maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar pradesh they are called as makar Sankranti during which the kite flying is quite well known along with making of the khichri which is also donated.
- In Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and tamilnadu, the pongal is a mark of the harvest season and a perfect time for fun and celebrations with many recipes and exchanging of gifts.
- In kerala, lakhs of devotees throng the sabarimala temple and create a celestial atmosphere with the lighting of lamps as prayer to lord Ayyapa.
Terms, Activities And Rituals :
With the pongal festival tour, the rich pongal festival history is clearly displayed with the main attraction being the pujas and worships in every home.
- The kolam is one of the most characteristic features of the pongal festival celebrations where people draw different diagrams in reverence to the gods with the rice powder and colors as a mark to welcome gods and prosperity to the house.
- Pongal itself is a name given to the rice pudding that is a must in many households as well as in other states besides the pongal festival in tamil nadu.
- The season in which the pongal festival in India is celebrated is the Thai month when the harvest season begins in almost all parts of the country.
- Worshiping the bulls and cows, flying kites, preparing rice items, exchanging gifts, decorating and painting the houses, and the beginning of the harvesting are some of the activities that are commonly seen in the pongal festival tour.
- Each individual day of the pongal has a separate term which has been named according to the local customs.
Festival Tour Providers And Packages :
- The caper travel company pvt ltd, provides the kerala packages especially during the pongal festival in India.
- Tamil nadu tourism company provides different pongal festival tour packages for different durations which can give the tourists to move to many places in south India such as Chennai, kanchipuram, mamallapuram, pondicherry, madurai, trichy, etc over a period of days during the pongal festival in India.
- The pongal festival history can be best experienced by the tour packages provided by the exotique expeditions pvt ltd.
- Savion travel services pvt ltd, arranges the pongal festival tour for the interested tourists to visit the pongal festival in tamilnadu.
- Tourists can take part in the pongal festival celebrations by taking up the tour packages provided by the Green world tourism.
The significance of the pongal festival history is aptly reflected in the pongal festival celebrations through the manifestations of people’s belief. They celebrate the pongal festival in tamil nadu with such enthusiasm as found in other parts of India. The basic aim is to glorify the nature with its gift of good harvest and the plenty of bounty that it has to offer. Different people in different regions have their own methods of pongal festival celebrations which can be seen by the tourists on pongal festival tour. But the essence of each celebration is the atmosphere of joy and brotherhood.