Thai (Tenth Month) The Festivals in Thai

 Thai (Tenth Month) The Festivals in Thai

Thai month is the 10th month in a traditional calendar followed in Tamil Nadu. Thai Month in 2018 begins on January 14 and ends on February 12. The most auspicious days and festivals in the month include – Thai Pongal, Mattu Pongal, Kaanum, Thai Ammavasi and Thaipusam.

Thai is the most important Tamil solar month which brings joy, celebrations and weddings in the Tamil families which has a brief History. This month begins with Pongal for the first three days of the Tamil Solar month and continues with full of divine festivals like Thai Krithigai (Lord Karthikeya), Poosam lunar star which falls on full moon day and called as Thai Poosam which is significant for Lord Karthikeya.

Thai Pongal or Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated by Tamil people at the end of the harvest season. Pongal is a four day festival which usually takes place from January 13 to 16 in the Gregorian calendar i.e., the last day of the Tamil month Margazhi to the third day of Tamil month THAI.

The second of the four days i.e., first day of the Tamil month THAI is the second and main day of the festival and this day is known as Thai Pongal. This day coincides with MAKARA SANKARANTI which is a winter harvest festival celebrated throughout  India. The day marks the start of sun’s six-month long journey northwards or the Uttarayanam.

This also represents the Indic solstice when the sun purportedly enters the 10th house of the Indian zodiac i.e. Makara or Capricorn. 

It is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the TAMIL people in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the Indian Union Territory of Pondicherry and Sri Lanka.

In Tamil, the word Pongal means "overflowing" which signifies abundance and prosperity. On the day of Pongal, at the time of sun rise there is a symbolic ritual of boiling fresh milk in a new clay pots and when the milk boils over and bubbles out of the vessel, people shout "Pongalo Pongal!"They also say "Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum" meaning "the commencement of Thai paves the way for new opportunities" is often quoted regarding the Pongal festival. Thai Pongal is mainly celebrated to convey the appreciation and thankfulness to the SUN as it act as the primary energy behind agriculture and a good harvest. It is the Surya Mangalyam. Tamilians decorate their homes with banana and mango leaves and embellish the floor with decorative patterns drawn using rice flour.

History: The history may well be more than 1000 years old although some are of the view that the festival is older than that. Epigraphic Evidence suggests the celebration of the Puthiyeedu during the Medieval Chola empire days. It is thought that Puthiyeedu meant the first harvest of the year. The link between that past and today's harvest festival needs to be further researched. TAMILS refer to Pongal as "Tamizhar Thirunaal" (meaning "the festival of Tamils") Makara Sankranti in turn is referred to in the Surya Siddhanta.

Thai Poosam: A festival occurring in the Tamil month Thai (January - February), on the day of the star Poosam around Pournami (Full Moon) is celebrated as Thaipusam [Thai Poosam]. There are several legends about the festival Thaipusam. Here are a few of them There was a demon named Tharakasuran who gave a lot of trouble to the rishis and saints. Lord Muruga was called by his parents Lord Shiva and Parvati and given the job of destroying the Asuran. Lord Muruga set off with the blessings of his parents to destroy the demon. He took with him twelve weapons, eleven of which were given by his father Lord Shiva and the 'Vel' given by his mother Parvati. Lord Muruga destroyed Tharakasuran on the Poosam Nakshatra day in the Tamil month of Thai and hence Thai Poosam is celebrated in all Murugan temples.

According to another legend, as Shiva was imparting a mantra to Parvati, Lord Muruga eavesdropped on them. For that error, Parvati laid a curse on him, in line with the rule that even a son, if erring, must be punished. To be redeemed from her curse, Lord Muruga offered hard penance at Thiruparankundram. Pleased with his penance, Shiva and Parvati appeared before him and lifted the curse. The day on which the curse was removed is Thai Poosam. 

It is thus a special day for worship of Lord Muruga or Subrahmanya and is celebrated in a very grand manner at all Murugan temples, especially at the Six Battle Camps or 'Arupadai Veedu' of Murugan.

Thai Pongal is celebrated on the first day of the month Thai of the Tamil calendar. The day normally falls between 12th and 15th of the month of January in the Christian calendar. Thus, Thai is the first month of the Tamil Almanac, and Pongal is a dish of sweet concoction of rice, moong dal, jaggery and milk. This festival is celebrated by one and all as it is non-relevance to any particular religious faith. The whole Tamil population of the world celebrate it without any differences. Therefore it is widely known as "Tamil Thai Pongal" or the "Festival of the Tamils".

The Tamil festival of Thai Pongal is a thanks giving ceremony in which the farmers celebrate the event to thank the spirits of nature spirit, the Sun and the farm animals for their assistance in providing a successful harvest. The rest of the people celebrate the festival to pay their thanks to the farmers for the production of food. Overall, it is a festival to encourage social cohesiveness and unite people by bringing them together in a common function. There are many songs about Thai Pongal and there is much Tamil literature about it.

Customory Celebrations

Thai Pongal generally includes customs & celebrations that are the expression of jubilation over life's renewal. On Thai Pongal, the family begins the day early. Every member of the family gets up early in the morning, bathes, puts on new clothes and gathers in the front of the garden (muttram) to cook the traditional Pongal (rice pudding). The front garden is pre-prepared for this ceremonious cooking. A flat square pitch is made and decorated with kolam drawings, and it is exposed to the direct sun light. A fire wood hearth will be set up using three bricks. The cooking begins by putting a clay pot with water on the hearth.

A senior member of the family conduct the cooking and the rest of the family dutifully assists him or her or watches the event. When the water has boiled the rice is put into the pot - after a member the family ceremoniously puts three handful of rice in first. The other ingredients of this special dish are chakkarai (brown cane sugar) or katkandu (sugar candy), milk (cow's milk or coconut milk), roasted green gram (payaru), raisins, cashew nuts and few pods of cardamom.

When the meal is ready it is first put on a banana leaf and the family pray for few minutes to thank the nature sprit, the sun and farmers.

Then the meal (Pongal) is served with fruits (banana and mango) among the family. Later it will be shared with neighbors, friends and relatives. Although every household makes the food, sharing each others 'Pongal' is the one of the important features of the event. Some Hindu scholars believe that the rice is ceremoniously cooked on the Thai Pongal day because of its importance as a potent symbol of auspiciousness and fertility. The evenings are spent attending cultural events or visiting relatives and friends.

Thanksgiving Day,

The day of the Thai Pongal is devoted to thanksgiving to cattle. The farmers pay great attention to the animals which have ploughed the fields and drawn the carts throughout the year. To show his gratitude for this invaluable service the animals are bathed, their horns are painted in red, blue, yellow and green. Their foreheads are smeared with turmeric and kumkum. Their necks are adorned with colorful garlands. Pooja is offered to them and Pongal is given in plenty. This is called Mattu Pongal.

Meaning & Significance

Thai Pongal is an occasion for family re-unions and get-together. Old enmities, personal animosities and rivalries are forgotten. Estrangements are healed and reconciliation effected.

Indeed, Thai Pongal is a festival of freedom, peace, unity and compassion crystallized in the last hymn on unity in the Indian spiritual text the Rig Veda. Thus, love and peace are the central theme of Thai Pongal.

Maattu Pongal (Tamil: மாட்டுப் பொங்கல்) is the third day of the four-day Pongal festival. According to the Gregorian calendar it is normally celebrated on January 15 but sometimes it is celebrated on January 16. In Tamil Calendar, this corresponds to second day of the Tamil month Thai.

Though the name of the festival is specific to Tamil Nadu, in India, it is also celebrated in other southern states such as Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka . Makar Sankranti is a festival that marks the start of northern declination (called Uttarayana in Sanskrit) of the Sun from the Zodiac sign of Sagittarius(Sanskrit name: Dhanurmas) to Capricorn (Sanskrit: Makara), which according to Hindu calendar usually falls on 14 January.

In Tamil, the word “Mattu” means bull and this day of Pongal is for celebration of the cattle, particularly bulls that play a vital role by working hard to help the farmers to raise crops on their fields, falls on the following day, 15 January. The festival is also observed by ethnic Tamil population of Sri Lanka.

The festival day is also a special occasion when the landlord and the peasant, rich and poor, old and young all dine together in a spirit of bonhomie without any restraint of caste and creed. The festival is thus an occasion when the fresh harvests from the fields are shared in the form of food and sweets not only with the community but also with animals and birds. It also represents the change of season.

An important village sport, called the Jallikattu or 'Manji Virattu'’, an integral part of the Mattu Pongal festival is observed with enthusiasm and expectations in the villages of Tamil Nadu. This sport is held generally in the evening of the Mattu Pongal day. In the past, it was the day when fierce bulls were chased by young youths of the village to retrieve the money that was tied to the horns of the bulls. In some villages it was held one day after the Mattu Pongal day, on the Kannu Pongal day.

Mattu Pongal is made up of two words; 'Mattu' in Tamil means "bull". Pongal, also in Tamil Language, literally means "boiled rice" (a rice and lentil dish) but metaphorically means prosperity.The Pongal festival also represents celebration of "fertility and renewal" and is observed either for three days or four-days, after the end of the monsoon season and rice (paddy) crop is harvested.

According to a legend linked to Mattu Pongal, god Shiva sent his bull Nandi(mount of Shiva and his gate keeper) from heaven to the earth to give his message to people that they should have an oil bath every day and eat once a month. Instead, Nandi wrongly advised people to take an oil bath once a month and eat every day. Shiva was annoyed with this advice related to food and in fit of rage, banished Nandi to permanently live on earth and help the farmers to produce the extra food crops needed for people to eat every day.

Tamil people worship their cattle in this auspicious day. Tamil people offer poojas to their cattle(especially bulls), which is tamed by them. Each place have their own native cattle breeds.Here are the some of native breed cattle which are being worshipped by people as a custom and tradition which have a long back history mentioned in many manuscripts.

Observance

Mattu pongal Kolam

Observance of Mattu Pongal is part of the Pongal festival. Pongal is generally a four-day festival of fervent celebrations marking the officially declared Tamil New Year day, the beginning of the month of Thai starting with 14 January every year, as per Tamil Calendar. The first day is called Bhogi – the last day of Dhanurmas (month of Sagittarius), a preparatory day before the Pongal and is in honour of god Indra, the king of heaven. On this day it is spring cleaning, as people decorate their homes, buy new vessels and burn old and unwanted items. Pongal, the main festival, also called the Perum Pongal (big festival), is the second day when the Sun is worshipped signifying the first day of the month of Makara or Capricornus. It is celebrated as Makara Sankranti or simply "Sankranti" in the rest of the country. This is followed by the 'Mattu Pongal' celebration on the third day when bulls, cows and other farm animals are worshipped. The fourth day is the 'Kannum Pongal' or 'Kanru Pongal' (Calf Pongal) festival when calves are fed. However, the name 'Kannum' also denotes that on this day people visit elders in the villages or towns seeking their blessings.

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On each of the four days festival, Kolam or threshold drawings are drawn with coloured rice powder or chalk powder, in the front yard of the houses, after due washing of the yard. On the first day images of rice are drawn, on the second day good luck signs of Sun are drawn and the Mattu Pongal day Kolam depicts cows also.

Pongal foof offering in pots

On all four days, Shiva's consort Parvati and their son Ganesha are worshipped and the Pongal – the rice preparation – is offered to them in the puja and thereafter to the cattle. The neck of the pot in which Pongal rice is prepared is tied with fresh turmeric leaves and pieces of sugarcane. Ingredients cooked in the pot consist of rice, green gram and milk. While cooking, the overflow of milk is particularly observed as it has significance to the householder. If the milk over flows on the right side of the pot, it is considered an auspicious augury.Sometimes, an image of Ganesha is crafted with cow-dung. This crafted Ganesha is then bedecked with arugampul (kind of grass), thumbai (white flowers) and avaram (yellow flowers). The pongal cooked in mud pots are placed on the floor where a Kolam is drawn and skirted with red sand. Then, pongal-rice along with turmeric, ginger, sugar cane, yellow garlands and a stick that is used to drive the bulls are also placed as offering to Ganesha.

In some practices, Pongal is celebrated for three days with Kannum Pongal or Kannu Pongal observed concurrently with the Mattu Pongal. Sisters symbolically offer small part of the rice dishes prepared for the festival or coloured balls of cooked rice to crows and other birds such as sparrows, as a special prayer for the well being of their brothers. While making this offering to crows, they call out with words in Tamil, ‘Kakai Ku Pudi, Kuruvi Ku Pudi’, which literally means “this rice ball is for the crow, this rice ball is for the sparrow.”

On the Mattu Pongal day, cattle are washed, their horns painted and decorated with shining metal caps. Multi-coloured beads, tinkling bells, sheaves of corn and flower garlands are tied around their necks. Turmeric and kumkum are also devotionally put on the foreheads of the cattle. The cow–keepers dressed in their regale sprinkle the cattle with saffron water with mango leaves with prayers to protect them from evil and shout the popular slogan of the festival, “Pongal! Pongal!”. This prayer is a special wish for the progressive prosperity and growth of the cattle population, with the blessings of Indra and Krishna (Gopala), who was a cowherd. Devotees pay their respect to cows by bending down, like praying in a temple, and touching their feet and foreheads, followed by an aarti(showing camphor flame to the object of praise) and offering the cattle prasad (food offering, in this case is called Sakkar Pongal – a delicacy cooked of rice, moong dal (green gram) with jaggery and dry fruits). The cattle are taken in a procession, attended by bands of music, through the village streets to a public space in the village. The resounding of their bells attracts the villagers as the young men race each other's cattle. Then the entire atmosphere becomes festive and full of fun and revelry. Big commotion is seen when the game "Jallikattu" or "Manji Virattu" starts in which groups of young men chase the running bulls.

Jallikattu

JALLIKATTU

Jallikattu (bull embracing) – initially – was a bull taming village sport held in the after noon or evening of the Mattu Pongal celebrations. This sport was popular in the southern part of Tamil Nadu, particularly in Madurai, Tiruchirappalli and Tanjavur. On this day, the bulls, which were worshipped and fed during the day, their horns were tied with bundles of money in the form of coins or notes. The young boys chased such bulls, lassoed them and retrieved the money tied to the horn. If they failed the bulls ran away and were seen only the next morning. But this was a milder form of the sport which was seen in most villages in Tamil Nadu 500 years back.This traditional sport changed during the Nayaka rule in Tamil Nadu From a harmless bull-chasing sport it got transformed into the present form of Jallikattu, which is a bloodier bull-wrestling sport that takes place now in villages throughout Tamil Nadu, to celebrate Mattu Pongal. Jallikattu, as an ancient sport of Tamil Nadu, has been corroborated from rock paintings of 'bull chasing sport' discovered on massive rock surfaces at Karikkiyur in Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu, which are dated between 2,000 B.C. and 1,500 B.C.

The regular bull embrace that are held now are in a well organised manner by bull owners and the youthful village men. In the present form, prizes are offered to the bull fighters and the bull owners. The bull fight is held, at a central location in the village where people assemble in large numbers to witness the fight. It is held in an enclosure with a 30 feet (9.1 m) marker. The bulls that are specially trained for this occasion are then led from the pen to the ring to fight, one by one, when young boys of the village grab the bull by its horn or neck or tail and try to hold on to it. If the boys are thrown off or hurt seriously within the ring no prize is given to them. If they hold on or even thrown off but are not in any way injured then the prize is given to them. If the contesting young men hold on to the bull from the marker entrance of the pen then they are given prizes. If the bulls win, then the prizes go to the bull owners. It is said that in some villages as many as 600 bulls, 600 participants and 10,000 spectators participate. The fight between man and the bull is quite fierce and many times bloody. It is considered a heroic act on the part of the young men. The young participants show off their heroism by displaying the number of cuts they have suffered during such fights. This type of fight is said to be akin to the bull fights of Spain. However, in this case, the fight is to win prizes by holding on to the bulls’ neck or horn. The bull is never killed, however many boys get killed by goring by the bull since they fight with their bare hands and with confidence of their strength. In many instances, the audiences watching the fight have also been injured by the ferocious bulls. In recent years, there have been deaths of young boys during this festival, which has created a furore among the public. In one year, there was a report of death of as many as 20 young men, apart from mauling and trampling of spectators.

As result of deaths of young men, the Supreme Court was approached to stop this festival, as it was considered inhuman and dangerous. The plea made was that the Jallikattu was "backward, dangerous, a violation of animals’ rights and detrimental to India's modernizing image." The stoppage of the festival, however, resulted in protests by the villagers who wanted this sport to continue. Finally, on assurances given by the State government that enough security and safety arrangements would be provided at all such sports locations in the villages, Jallikattu has been permitted to be observed as part of the Mattu Pongal festival. As a result of court's intervention, doctors are ready at call to attend to injured young men or boys. A two tier high bamboo fencing is also erected between the bull ring and the audience who come to witness the fight in large numbers.

Thai Ammavasai

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Thai Amavasya 2018 Date based on Tamil Panchang and calendar. Thai Amavasya is the no moon day in the Tamil Month of Thai (January – February). Thai Amavasai is dedicated to dead ancestors, siblings, parents and other relatives. Thai Amavasya 2018 date is Wednesday, January 17. Special prayers, rituals and offerings are made on the day for departed souls to rest in peace.

In Tamil Nadu, Hindus take a holy bath in one of the sacred water bodies. Shradh and Tarpan are offered. There is a popular belief that on Thai Amavasi day the souls of the dead visit to bless their relations on the earth. The rituals and other pujas are performed on riverbanks or on seashores. 

The day is of great significance at the  Rameshwaram Sri Ramaatha Swamy Temple. 

Rituals, pujas and prayers associated with Thai Amavasi are also observed at several places in Tamil Nadu including Kannyakumari, Dhanushkodi, Muhuntharayarchatram, Sethukarai and Devipattinam. 

The same day is observed as Mauni amavasya in North India- many Hindus observe a complete silence on the day.

Triveni Amavasya is observed during the period in Orissa.

Kannum Pongal

Kannum Pongal

The fourth day of the three-day Pongal celebrations is called Kaanum Pongal. In few places this day is also known as Karinaal or Thiruvalluvar Day. It is dedicated to the sun god, Surya and has its roots in ancient Brahminical tradition. Since Pongal is a rural, agrarian based festival that celebrates the harvests, the sun is a vital part of the proceedings. This is because the Sun is the symbol of life on Earth. Without the Sun, crops cannot sprout and grow. Without the Sun, harvests will not be plentiful.

Surya Puja

On Kaanum Pongal, elaborate powdered chalk designs of the sun god, Surya are drawn. As soon as the auspicious month of Thai is underway, Surya is worshiped. Sheaves of sugarcane dot the prayer area. Freshly cooked food including the typical sweet dish 'Sarkarai pongal' is first offered to Surya. Sugarcane that is offered is symbolic for sweetness and happiness in life. Sugarcane stalks and coconut- both auspicious symbols of plenty- are also offered to the Gods in propitiation of a plentiful harvest in the forthcoming year.

Customs & Rituals

This day is very similar to Rakhsa Bandhan and Bhai Dhuj in that it is predominantly a festival where women offer prayers for the wellbeing of their brothers. The women perform this ritual before bathing in the morning. All the women, young and old, of the house, assemble in the courtyard. The rice is placed in the centre of the leaf, while the women ask that the house and family of their brothers should prosper. Arati is performed for the brothers with turmeric water, limestone and rice, and this water is sprinkled on the kolam in front of the house.

Celebration

On this day, people travel to see other family members and the younger members of the family pay homage to the elders, and the elders thank them by giving token money. Another thing many do is leave food out on banana leaves for birds to take. Many South Indian people take the first bit of rice cooked in any given day and set it outside for the crows to take, so this is not necessarily a habit only for Pongal. Some also go to temple to worship and thank god for all good things that are bestowed on them.

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All information in the above blog is sourced from various articles on the web. Nothing is original!!!

Do not miss the next edition - "Maasi the Eleventh month" to be published on 7th July.

Let the comments flow- All comments/feed backs welcome!!!

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