Pongal is a harvest festival and is the first festival of the year in South India. Pongal is celebrated for four days in Tamil Nadu. With kids around, its best to explain the importance of agriculture and teach them the importance of food. We offer our prayers to the Sun God and usually we celebrate the festival outdoors. So this time I have tips on how we can celebrate the festival in both fun and traditional styles.
Donate old clothes and have a camp fire
Bogi is the first day on Pongal where people donate old stuff and burn old clothes to mark new beginnings. But burning old stuff just adds to the pollution, so you can create a small camp fire on your terrace or in a common outdoor area. It will be a treat during the winter.
Clean your house and de-clutter your furniture
Since Pongal marks new beginnings, it’s best to clean your house and make sure that there are no cockroaches hidden in the corners. Another great idea is to rearrange your old furniture and move them around till you achieve ample sunlight as Pongal is a festival dedicated to the Sun God.
Outdoor Pongal for the sweet tooth
Pongal means, “boiling over”. You can celebrate the traditional way by cooking the Pongal outdoors in a mud pot on fire. Pongal is made with rice, milk, jaggery and ghee. When the milk boils over and falls down, the celebrations begin. You can add colorful rangolis around the Pongal. Make sure the entire area is sanitized a day before your festival. #SayNoToFoodPoisoning
Mattu Pongal- offerings to the cow
The last day of Pongal is spent decorating and feeding the cow, they also have bull taming competitions in villages. Though we cant celebrate it the way they do in villages, we can go to the closest Goshalas (Cow Sheds) and feed some food to the cows.
Hope you enjoy this festival to the fullest with your kids. Wishing you all a Sweet, and Happy Pongal.
2 Responses to How to Plan a Perfect Pongal/Shankaranthi