Pongal

Pongal is a four day harvest festival celebrated in India, beginning on January 13th or 14th. The word Pongal means “overflowing and abundance”. It's celebrated as a shift in the season - the end of winter - the day on which the sun begins to move northwards

I appreciate this extra reminder of the returning light: The sun is a symbol of wisdom, divine knowledge and spiritual light, and now it is turning towards us and blessing us with life and energy.

Each day of Pongal has a slightly different focus and theme: 

Today is called Bhogi Pongal, which means "enjoy abundance"; it's a day to honor the rain god, Indra, for providing rain for the harvest. Today farmers anoint their plows and sickles with sandalwood paste to bless them, then bring in the fresh harvest of rice and sugar cane.

 

The second day is called Surya Pongal, named for the sun god, Lord Surya. On this day people cook sweet rice at sunrise, and watch for the rice to bubble out of the clay pot. The boiling over symbolizes good luck and prosperity for the family.

 

The third day is Mattu Pongal, focusing on the cattle who pull the plows. (Mattu means "cow".) The cows are cleaned, decorated and fed treats.

 

The fourth day is Kanum Pongal. Kanum means "to view": It's a day to visit friends and family.

Agenda for Pongal:

1. House clearing
2. Have a fire ceremony
3. Make a rangoli

4. Make Pongal Paanai (Sweet Rice)

5. Recite the Surya Mantra

1. House clearing:

Cleaning and clearing is a theme for Pongal, as it is for many change-of-season festivals. Today, on Bhogi Pongal, everyone cleans house and clears out unneeded stuff to make way for the new. Folks burn and get rid of old household items and clothing, and buy new things.

This week I cleared out the toy box and also the studio, and collected a load to take to the thrift store, and another load for metal recycling at the dump.

2. Have a fire ceremony:

The Bhogi fire is, of course, symbolic: Tomorrow the sun shifts to bring us wisdom, life, and energy, and so today we sacrifice our ignorance, delusions, bad habits, attachments, and vices on the fire.

A couple of years ago I celebrated Pongal with my art class students, and they wrote down the things they wanted to clear from their lives-- pollution, sadness, racism-- then we started a small fire in the fire pit, and tossed in our words.

Simpler ceremony: This year I had a ceremony alone in my room, with a candle, and I burned up all of my aches and pains, impatience, laziness, and gluttony.

3. Paint a rangoli:

Rangoli 2022

Women paint new rangoli designs each day for Pongal, onto the floor or the ground outside. Rangoli painting is an art handed down from mother to daughter in all parts of India. The artist uses very simple materials- rice flour, natural colors, and her fingers. In some places, women paint new designs each morning outside the doorway of the house, to protect those who come and go. In India rice flour is thought to have protective power.

I've put together a gallery of Rangoli and how to make them here, but I'm in Pre-school Mode right now, so our rangoli this year was simple and fast (still following the 5-minute rule).

4. Make Pongal Paanai (Sweet Rice):

One year, we made a rangoli on red paper on the kitchen floor.

On Surya Pongal people cook sweet rice at sunrise; the pongal pot is the main attraction - it is decorated, and set up on the kitchen floor or in the front yard, with decorations surrounding it and the cooking fire.

Everyone watches as the rice cooks and the moment the rice bubbles out of the clay pot, someone rings a bell, and everyone shouts "Pongalo-o-o-o Pongal!" The boiling over symbolizes good luck and prosperity for the family. The Pongal rice is central to this holiday. You can make the rice on the stove in the usual manner, but if at all possible, try to experience the "overflowing" that gives Pongal its name. 

These photos are from a few years ago, when my art class observed the Pongal ceremony with great anticipation. In addition to the food ingredients, you will need a bell and / or a conch shell. For a longer explanation see this site.

Ingredients:

• 1 c. water
• 2 c. milk
• 1 c. white Basmati rice
• 1/4-c. moong dal (yellow lentils) 
• 1/4 c. dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp. molasses
• 1/2 c. water
  
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom powder

1- Wash the rice and moong dal. Put water, milk, rice and moong dal into a pot and begin to simmer. 

Waiting for the rice to boil over, so we can ring bells!

We set up a hot plate on the floor, and that's where we cooked our rice.

2- Heat to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally. Watch carefully: As it rises up to boil over, allow it to slightly overflow, ring a bell and yell “Pongal-o-o-o pongal!”

The overflowing of the rice symbolizes good luck and prosperity.

3- Reduce the heat and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until thick and soft.

 


4- Meanwhile, in another pot, melt brown sugar, molasses, and 1/2 c. water. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Let the syrup cool a bit- it should be very sticky.

Just about ready to eat now.

5-  Add the syrup to the cooked rice-dal. Stir in cardamom. Simmer on medium, stirring constantly, until the whole mixture comes together into a sticky, gooey mass. Turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes, covered. It will thicken further as it cools.

6 -  To serve, mound into bowls and sprinkle with roasted cashews.

6. Recite the Surya Mantra:

Om Hrim Sum Suryaya Namaha

(pronounced "Om Hreem Soom Soor-yah-yah Nahm-ah-ha")

which means: “Om and salutations to Surya (the sun), bringer of clarity and dispeller of darkness”.