The saying "Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum" meaning "the commencement of Thai paves the way for new opportunities" is often quoted regarding the Pongal festiva]Tamils thank the Sun god (Surya} for the good harvest and consecrate the first grain to him on this 'Surya Mangalyam'. Tamilians decorate their homes with banana and mango leaves and embellish the floor with decorative patterns drawn using rice flour , commonly known as rangoli.
Bhogi
The day preceding Pongal is called Bhogi when people discard old things and focus on new belongings.. The people assemble at dawn to light a bonfire to discard old used possessions. The house is cleaned, painted and decorated to give a festive look. In villages, the horns of oxen and buffaloes are painted in colors and most of them would have their harvest ready or even would have made money out of the harvests.
Thai Pongal
Pongal Pandigai
Pongal itself falls on the first day of the Tamil month of Thai (January 14 or 15). It is celebrated by boiling rice with fresh milk and jaggery in new clay pots. The rice is later topped with sugar, ghee, cashew nuts and raisins. This tradition gives Pongal its name.[5] The rice is traditionally cooked at sun rise as the dish is dedicated to the sun god, surya. There are two versions of pongal, one sweet the other salted. The prepared dish is served on banana leaves.[3]
The moment the milk boils over and bubbles out of the vessel, the tradition is to shout of "Pongalo Pongal!", introduce freshly harvested rice grains in the pot and blow the sanggu. Tamils consider it a good sign