 This
festival is reminiscent of Raksha Bandhan and Bhai Duja of north India. A large
banana (Musaparadisiaca) leaf is washed. It is then placed on the ground, next
to the basil altar in the courtyard. On it is placed a branch of the amla (Phylalnthusembelica)
tree. On this leaf are placed at four corners, the leftovers of sweet pongal and
the salty pongal called Vand Pongal, ordinary rice as well as Pongal colored red
and yellow, five betel leaves, two betel nuts, two pieces of sugarcane, turmeric
leaves, and two or three ber (Ziziphus mauritiana) fruit. On this also reposes
an oil lamp. In Tamil Nadu women perform this ritual before bathing in the morning.
In Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, the festival starts after everyone has bathed.
All the women, young and old, of the house assemble in the courtyard. The eldest
married woman distributes a handful of rice to all the others. The rice is placed
in the center of the banana 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 rangoli in front
of the house. Sisters apply a tilak on the foreheads of their brothers, and give
them fruit, sweets, sesame seed and jaggery. The brothers thank their sisters
for their good wishes and give them money and gifts.  The
celebration of this festival probably originated very early on. From the very
beginning, the first agriculturalists realized the importance of a good crop,
which sustained the entire clan. And since, to him, it depended on some supernatural
element, he thought it fit to thank the gods after a good harvest. Further, it
was believed that all that is new, a new crop, the first catch of a season, and
the first born of a domestic animal, was sacred and hence not to be touched by
man until certain sacramental ceremonies were performed. A part of the new was
sacrificed to the gods or spirits, and one's ancestors, and only then could it
be consumed. In addition, it was realized that the fruit of the earth and animals
for food should not be garnered until they were ready. The community emphasized
this; and until a ritual was performed, nothing could be gathered, slain, or eaten.
The harvest festival of Pongal symbolizes the veneration of the first fruit. The
crop is harvested only after a certain time of the year, and cutting the crop
before that time is strictly prohibited.
Even though Pongal was originally a festival for the farming community, today
all celebrates it. In the south, all three days of Pongal are considered important.
However, those south Indians who have settled in the north usually celebrate only
the second day. Coinciding with Makara Sankranti and Lohri of the north, it is
also called Pongal Sankranti. Though traditionally 'pongal' is cooked using harvested
grain, nowadays it is not easily available. Therefore families not directly involved
in agriculture cook 'pongal' using old rice, to give thanks in the traditional
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