KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, January 14, 2024 (Malay Mail): Celebrated during the Thai month (the tenth month in Tamil calendar), the four-day-long Pongal festival marks the start of the harvest season in the southern region of India. Traditionally, the celebration starts on the eve of Pongal with the Bhogi festival — dedicated to the rain God Indra — where old items like clothes are discarded in a bonfire. On Pongal day, rice is cooked with milk and jaggery in a claypot, decorated with turmeric plant and flanked by sugarcanes, using firewood in the front yard. On the second day, cows are revered for their contributions to the harvest (Maatu Pongal) and the following day, unmarried girls wishing for a blissful marital life offer their prayers (Kaanum Pongal). In northern India, Pongal is celebrated as Makar Sankranti, which marks the Sun’s transition into the Capricorn (Makar) zodiac signs and is ushered in with kite-flying competitions.

Asokan Stores general manager Mithra Thuraisingam said many Hindus still prefer to celebrate Pongal traditionally by cooking the sweet rice with claypot and firewood. In fact, KRM Cash & Carry purchasing department’s Haridas Selvam said the local Indian community in Malaysia are more fond of using claypot for Pongal compared to those in Tamil Nadu, India. “The Tamil community here are more enthusiastic to preserve the cultural way of celebrating the festival using claypot,” he said. Haridas said the Pongal festival supports the livelihoods of farmers and pot-makers, especially since the Thai month usually brings the best sugarcane and turmeric yields. “The sugarcane plant grows taller at every node, not allowing itself to be hampered by challenges. So, putting sugarcanes up on Pongal reminds us to always rise above our challenges,” Haridas said.

More at source:
https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2024/01/14/prosperity-in-a-pot-tamil-community-offers-gratitude-to-nature-on-pongal-with-traditional-fervour/112347

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