Pongal, the harvest festival of Tamilians will be celebrated with great zeal and pomp all over the world from January 14 to January 17. The festival is dedicated to Sun God and is believed to be the most auspicious month of the Tamil Calendar.  In Tamil Nadu,  Pongal festival is believed to bring prosperity and good luck to families. As Pongal falls on the auspicious month of Thai, the tenth month of the Tamil calendar, it is also referred to as Thai Pongal.

Preparing a rice dish to offer the Sun God is a main ritual during Pongal celebrations. On Pongal, people take an oil bath and eat sweetened rice made with milk and lentils. The Pongal festival marks the beginning of Uttarayan, the sun’s transition northwards for a six-month period. The Thai month is believed to solve problems that people are facing and bring in good luck and prosperity.  In Tamil Nadu, each day of the festival is celebrated with different rituals.

Pongal Date, Time and Mahurat:

Pongal, the Tamil harvest festival will be celebrated across India for four days from January 14 to January 17. The festival is the end of the traditional farming season in Tamil Nadu. This is the time when farmers take a break from their normal mundane routine.

Mahurat:

Tamil Gowri Panchangam

07:19 – 08:37 Uthi

08:37 – 09:55 Amirdha

09:55 – 11:13 Rogam

11:13 – 12:30 Laabam

12:30 – 13:48 Dhanam

13:48 – 15:06 Sugam

15:06 – 16:23 Soram

16:23 – 17:41 Visham

The Muhurat of the Pongal festivals will start at 2 PM on January 14. This day marks the start of the sun's six-month-long journey northwards (the Uttaraayanam). Thai Pongal festival is mainly celebrated to convey appreciation to the Sun God for a successful harvest. Part of the celebration is the boiling of the first rice of the season consecrated to the Sun - the Surya Maangalyam.

Significance:

The month of Thai in Tamil calendar is believed to put an end to people’s problems and bring good luck. In northern parts of India Pongal or Makar Sankranti marks the end of ‘Kharmas’ the inauspicious period, after which weddings, housewarming, and other momentous occasion take place. The month is so auspicious that people also choose to get married in this month as it believed to be the most sacred month of the Tamil calendar.

Thai Pongal is one of the most important festivals celebrated by Tamil people. Thai Pongal corresponds to Makara Sankranthi, the harvest festival celebrated throughout India.The festival is celebrated by Tamilians worldwide and is also celebrated by Tamilians in Sri Lanka, Mauritius, South Africa, United States, Singapore, Canada and UK. The day before Thai Pongal is known as Bogi Pandigai. On this day people clean their homes and light bonfire to discard unused items. In Punjab, the same day is celebrated as Lohri by Sikh community.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 12, 2018 05:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).