Tag Archives: Hindu Culture and Traditions in USA

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 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 …

Pongal Around The World: The festival of Pongal is celebrated with zeal and fervor by the Tamilians in India as well as in any part of the world they reside. As this harvest festival is considered very auspicious, even the Tamils living abroad celebrate this festival with the wish of prosperity as well as for keeping their cultural ties with …

Makar Sankranti festival holds special significance in India. It is one of the important Hindu festivals, celebrated with pomp and gaiety across the length and breadth of the country, with different names and of course, by observing different rituals. The festival marks the commencement of Sun’s journey to the northern hemisphere, thereby making the days warmer and longer than the …

Makar Sankranti Date is considered to be one of the most auspicious festivals for the Hindus. It is celebrated in various parts of the country with extreme zeal and fervor. In Gujarat and Rajasthan, it is known Uttarayana while in Northern part of the country; it is known as Sankranti, in Tamil Nadu, it is known as Pongal. Apart from …

Makar Sankranti Wishes: Sankranti means to go from one place to another place (transition of places). It also confluence and Makar means Capricorn. So, the time when the sun changes direction from one constellation (of the zodiac) to another, the occasion is known as Sankranti. On this occasion, Sun transits from Sagittarius and goes to Capricorn during the winter solstice …

Makar Sankranti Customs & Traditions: Makar Sankranti is an important Hindu festival celebrated with religious fervor in almost all parts of India. The festival is celebrated to mark the beginning of the bountiful harvest season after few months of chilly winter. It falls on January 14, every year, as per the Solar calendar. Both geographic and religious significance are associated …

Lohri Origin: The origin of the Lohri can be traced back to the tale of Dulla Bhatti. By the end of the first week of January, small groups of boys ring the doorbell of houses and start chanting the Lohri songs related to Dulla Bhatti. In turn, the people give them popcorn, peanuts, crystal sugar, sesame seeds (til) or gur …

Lohri Celebrations: An agricultural festival filled with merry-making, Lohri is celebrated on the 13th of January each year, mainly in the states of Punjab, Haryana, New Delhi and parts of Himachal Pradesh. It denotes the end of the biting colds of winter and marks the sun’s entry into the ‘Makar Rashi’ (north hemisphere). Mainly associated with worshiping the sun and …