Thai Pongal

For lakhs of Tamil Hindus, Thai Pongal is a harvest festival - the Tamil equivalent of Thanksgiving. It is held to honor the Sun, for a bountiful harvest. Families gather to rejoice and share their joy and their harvests with others. Thai Pusam occurs on January 31 a fortnight before the Mahasivarathri which is on February 14th, 2002.

Women carry pots of milk and couples carry their infant babies in saffron cloth cradles slung on a sugarcane stem. The full throated cries of 'Vel Muruga Vel Muruga' resound throughout the day and night of the festival. For the womenfolk, the festival is a time to work hard, making a variety of dishes using new rice and sugarcane, and making sweets so that a feast is ready in time for the two day pilgrimage to Lord Muruga's temple.

Women carry pots of milk and couples carry their infant babies in saffron cloth cradles slung on a sugarcane stem. The full throated cries of 'Vel Muruga Vel Muruga' resound throughout the day and night of the festival. For the womenfolk, the festival is a time to work hard, making a variety of dishes using new rice and sugarcane, and making sweets so that a feast is ready in time for the two day pilgrimage to Lord Muruga's temple.

People who make vows for certain specific happenings in their life ( child, marriage, health, house, etc) celebrate by inserting seekhs, skewers, through their cheeks, fish hooks with lemons on their bodies. Some even have themselves hoisted up and carried to the temple with hooks sunk in their bodies. Devotees do not feel pain, as they fall into a trance, which is broken only by application of vibhuti ( holy ash) on them. Others offer their thanks by getting their heads shaved.

People who make vows for certain specific happenings in their life ( child, marriage, health, house, etc) celebrate by inserting seekhs, skewers, through their cheeks, fish hooks with lemons on their bodies. Some even have themselves hoisted up and carried to the temple with hooks sunk in their bodies. Devotees do not feel pain, as they fall into a trance, which is broken only by application of vibhuti ( holy ash) on them. Others offer their thanks by getting their heads shaved.

Regional Names

• Uttarayan
• International Kite Festival
• Pongal
• Makar Sankranti
• Ganga Sagar
• Thai Pongal
• Bihu / Bohaggiyo Bhishu
• Hadaga Festival