Pongalo - Pongal

Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu as a thanks giving to nature that has helped farmers to reap a good harvest for the year. Thai is a good season to celebrate nature, for many crops like rice and other cereals, sugar cane and turmeric are harvested during this period!

- Gayathri Krishnan

Pongal is celebrated on the first day of the Tamil month of Thai, usually on the 14 th or 15 th of January, with festivities going on for four days.

Thai Pongal is celebrated by Tamil people living all over the world, even as far as Mauritius, Singapore, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The first day is Bhogi, which is celebrated in honor of Lord Indra, the God of rain and the chief of all Gods.

On this day, old and unused things are brought out of the house and burnt in a bonfire made out of cow dung patties and wood.