Pongal Recipes

More about Pongal

Thai Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated by Tamils across the world. Pongal in Tamil means "boiling over or spill over." The act of boiling over of milk in the clay pot is considered to denote future prosperity for the family.

Traditionally celebrated at harvest time, it is a celebration of the prosperity associated with the harvest by thanking the rain, sun and the farm animals that have helped in the harvest. In villages, new clothes are worn and people owning cows find this festival important.

While Pongal is predominantly a Tamil festival, similar festivals are also celebrated in several other Indian States under different names. In Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Karnataka, the harvest festival Sankranti is celebrated. In northern India, it is called Makar Sankranti. In Maharashtra and Gujarat, it is celebrated on the date of the annual kite flying day, Uttarayan. It also coincides with the bonfire and harvest festival in Punjab and Haryana, known as Lohri.