Kenduli Mela: There are many small and large festivals taking place in West Bengal, India throughout the year. Kenduli Mela or Kenduli Fair is one such festival which provides an opportunity to encounter the Bauls. The Bauls are a group of mystic minstrels from Bengal who travel throughout the land singing songs and playing music that transcend all religions and scriptures. The …

Four Days of Pongal: A four-day harvest festival of Tamil Nadu, celebrated with gusto and fervor, by the Tamil in the state. All the four days of the festival (from 13th of January to 16th of January) are thoroughly enjoyed by the people. The festival is dedicated to Mother Nature, as farmers thank her for blessing them with bountiful crop. Each day …

Pongal is an important festival in India, with prayers to the Sun God on this occasion. Pongal is one of such highly revered festivals celebrated in Tamil Nadu to mark the harvesting of crops by farmers. The house is cleaned, and all maintenance jobs are done before this festival. Pongal Harvest Festival: Held in the middle of January, it is …

Pongal Dance: Pongal is one of the most important festivals in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the only Hindu festival that follows a solar calendar and is celebrated on a fixed date i.e. the fourteenth of January every year. It is a harvest festival and celebrated in North India as Makar Sankranti. It also has an astronomical significance …

Pongal Customs: The word Pongal, in both Telugu and Tamil, signifies the boiling over of the rice in the cooking pot. Though little is known about the origin of Pongal, it is known to a Dravidian harvest festival that has survived for ages. Pongal also marks the beginning of a New Year and is the day to praise and thank God …

When is Thai Pongal Celebrated? Thai Pongal is celebrated on January 14th every year. The month of Thai (January) is the harvest season in the Tamil homeland spanning from Tamil Nadu to Tamil Eelam. Pongal refers to rice cooked in milk and sweetened with brown sugar (chakkarai, from which the English word jaggery is derived). On a full scale it …

What is the Significance of Pongal festival? Everybody knows about the celebration of Pongal but hardly anyone knows about its significance and meaning. People celebrating Pongal should be aware of the meaning & significance of the important rituals associated with this harvest festival. Pongal or Thai Pongal is also called Makar Sankranti, since it is celebrated on the first day …

What is Surya Pongal? The second day is dedicated to Lord Surya, the Sun God, who is offered boiled milk and jaggery. A plank is placed on the ground, a large image of the Sun God is sketched on it and Kolam designs are drawn around it. This icon of the Sun God is worshiped for divine benediction as the …

सूर्य उपासना का पर्व: पर्व, अनुष्ठान भारत की प्राचीन उनज्जवल संस्कृति के आधार स्तम्भ हैं। हमारे मनीषियों ने इन पर्वों को विशेष रूप से ऊर्जा एवं दिव्यता का संचार करने वाला बताया है। हमारे शास्त्रों में उत्तायण और दक्षिणायन इन दो मार्गों का विशेष रूप से उल्लेख मिलता है। मकर संक्रांति के मंगल पर्व से सूर्य उत्तरायण में प्रवेश करता …

What is the history of Pongal? The history of Pongal can be traced back to the Sangam Age, ie, 200 B.C. to 300 A.D. Pongal is an ancient festival of the Tamils and it is not known when exactly the Tamils began celebrating the festival, but some historians identify it with the Thai Un and Thai Niradal, believed to have …