Giving thanks with hope for a better year

In the midst of what has so far been a turbulent month, and a disturbed beginning to a year, the festival of Thai Pongal which will be celebrated on January 15 is a reminder that there are still things in life to be thankful for.

The significance of Thai Pongal lies in the fact that it is a harvest festival in which the main objective is to thank nature for the abundance and prosperity she provides. Accordingly, all celebrations associated with Thai Pongal focus on abundance and prosperity. The best known ritual of Thai Pongal is the boiling of new rice and milk.

Thai Pongal is the second day of the Pongal festival which originated in Tamil Nadu. The saying goes that "the birth of the month of Thai will pave the way for new opportunities." The first day of the Pongal festival is called Bhogi, and is celebrated by throwing away and destroying old clothes and materials by setting them on fire, marking the end of the old Thai and the emergence of the new Thai.

The second day is the main day, falling on the first day of the Tamil month Thai (January 14 - 15). Also known as Sarkarai Pongal or Veetu Pongal, it is celebrated by boiling rice with fresh milk and jaggery in new pots, which are later topped with brown sugar, cashew nuts and raisins early in the morning, allowing it to boil over the vessel. This tradition gives Pongal its name. On Thai Pongal, the family begins the day early. Every member of the family gets up early, bathes, puts on new clothes and gathers to cook the traditional Pongal (rice pudding). The front garden is prepared for this ceremony. A flat square pitch is made and decorated with kolam drawings. A fire - wood hearth is set up using three bricks.

A senior member of the family does the cooking while the rest of the family dutifully assists. When the water has boiled the rice is put into the pot - after a member of the family ceremoniously puts three handfuls of rice in first. The other ingredients of this special dish are chakkarai (brown cane sugar) or katkandu (sugar candy), milk (cow's milk or coconut milk), roasted green gram (payaru), raisins, cashew nuts and a few pods of cardamom.

The moment the rice boils over and bubbles out of the vessel, the tradition is to shout out "Ponggalo Ponggal!" and to blow the sangu (a conch shell), a custom practised during the festival to announce a year blessed with good tidings. For Tamils, it is considered a good sign to watch it boil over, since it signifies the approach of good luck and prosperity.

Boiled rice is offered to nature, a gesture which symbolises thanks to the sun and nature for providing prosperity. It is later served to the people present in the house for the ceremony. People also prepare savouries and sweets such as vadai, murrukku, payasam, visit each other and exchange greetings.

The third day, Maattu Pongal, is for offering thanks to cattle, that help the farmer in different ways for agriculture. The cattle are decorated with paint, flowers and bells, allowed to roam free and fed sweet rice and sugar cane. Some people decorate the horns with gold or other metallic coverings. In some places, Jallikattu, or taming the wild bull contest, is the main event of this day and this is mostly seen in the villages.

During the final day, Kaanum Pongal (the word kaanum means "to view") people visit relatives and friends and thank them for their support in the harvest. Ms. Shanthi Navukarasam, the Director of the Department of Hindu Religious and Cultural Affairs says, "Thai Pongal is a festival in which we offer homage and thanksgiving to the Sun God, honouring him for his impact on and importance in our lives. It is a time of great joy, but the religious significance of the festival cannot be forgotten. The traditions of going to the temple and offering thanksgiving prayers, as well as honouring elders, should always be upheld; this is the most important part of celebrating Thai Pongal."

Unfortunately, while some enjoy the happiness that is synonymous with this festival there are those who find it hard to find a reason to celebrate. They are the people who live in the conflict areas, and have had their families and homes torn apart by war. Hopefully, this year's Thai Pongal will bring with it, apart from thanksgiving, the promise of a better life in the year to come.