Ponggal is celebrated in mid-January (winter solstice in the Hindu calendar) by festival marking the rice harvest to give thanks to the Sun God, named Surya, for a bountiful harvest.
Ponggal, a mixture of sweet boiled rice is made and offered to the Sun God or Surya. The name is derived from the Tamil word pongu, meaning "boil over" or "flourish."
New clothes are donned and festivity fills the air in the house during Ponggal. A colourful kolam is made out of rice paste, outlining Surya's chariot.
In the centre of this is placed a clay pot or ponggal panaai over an earthen stove. The pot is filled with milk and fresh rice and adorned with ginger and tumeric stalks. While the newly harvested rice grains boil in milk, brown sugar or jaggery is added along with cashew nuts, raisins and ghee.
As the rice mixture boils furiously frothing freely over the pot, family members cry out "pongollo pongal". This is a celebratory cheer which literally means "may this rice boil over". And this is a wish for overflowing fortunes for the family. Visitors greet each other with "paal pongitha?" Which means: "Has the milk boiled over in your house?"
Traditionally, the rice is cooked over a brick stove in the open yard of the house.
Whilst the Americans celebrate Thanksgiving by roasting a turkey and Chinese celebrate winter solstice by eating rice balls and the Hindus celebrate Ponggol by boiling rice in milk, they are all to thank God for the abundant blessings. We should remind ourselves that celebration of gratefulness should transcend religion and races and let us wish all our HINDU friends "Ponggol o Ponggol" when you see them !!
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