We wish our friends in Sri Lanka and around the world a Happy Thai Pongal festival.
Naomi Booth :: Friday 14th January 2022 :: Latest Blog Posts
Pongal festival or Thai Pongal festival is a four-day harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu, South India. One of the most popular Tamil festivals, Pongal is celebrated as offering of prayers to nature.
Pongal festival is celebrated for four days from the last day of the Tamil month of Margazhi (mid-December - mid January) to the third day of Thai (mid-January - mid February) and coincides with the festival Makara Sankranthi and Lohri Festival of north India. This year, the date of Pongal festival is from 14 January to 17 January 2022.
The word Pongal means boiling over and the Tamils refer Pongal as Tamizhar Thirunal (the festival of Tamils). In Astrology, this is the period when the sun traverses from the Tropic of Capricorn to the Tropic of Cancer via the Equator (from 14th January to 14th July), and this movement is termed as Uttarayan. Following are the four days of Pongal Festival.
1) Bhogi Pongal date is on 14 January 2022
2) Surya Pongal date is on 14 January 2022
3) Maatu Pongal date is on 16 January 2022
4) Kaanum Pongal (or Kanum Pongal) date is on 17 January 2022
Pongal rice
To celebrate this day, people in Tamil Nadu make Delicious Pongal Dish. Pongal is a famous dish prepared with rice. The origin of this rice dish was from the Indian subcontinent, in Sri Lanka and Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. It is a traditional food and most historic taste of the south.
What is Pongal Dish Made of?
Pongal Dish is made of rice mixed with moong dal, ghee, cashew nuts, raisins, and mild spices. The spicy variety consists of moong dal, rice, cashews, curry leaves, pepper and ghee. The ingredients are good for winter and is made of the right balance of carbohydrate, protein, and fats.
Two varieties of Pongal Dish:
The two varieties of Pongal are:
- Chakkara Pongal: a sweet Pongal made of jaggery
- Venn Pongal: Spicy Pongal made with pepper, and chilli.
