Pongal is an
important harvest festival of Tamil Nadu and Kaanum Pongal is celebrated as the
last and fourth day of the Pongal festivities. The celebrations of Pongal come
to an end with Kaanum Pongal. Kaanum Pongal is an ancient festival for the
Tamils and it is celebrated on the third day of month of ‘Thai’ in the Tamil
calendar. Kaanum Pongal is also acknowledged as ‘Thiruvalluvar Day’ in remembrance
of the great Tamil philosopher and poet named ‘Thiruvalluvar’. Kaanum Pongal is
the day of relaxation and enjoyment and people spend time by socializing or
visiting each other’s house. In Andhra Pradesh Kaanum Pongal is celebrated as
‘Mukkanuma’ and is observed by worshipping cattle.
Rituals during
Kaanum Pongal:
- On the day of Kaanum Pongal, devotees clean
their homes and decorate it with ‘kolam’. On this day, Kolam of Sun God is
drawn as the prime deity in the month of Thai is Sun God. Special puja is
done and Sarkarai Pongal is made as offering to Sun God.
- The most important event observed on Kaanum
Pongal is visiting the banks of River Kaveri. It is celebrated with
friends and families just like ‘Bhai Dhuj’ and ‘Raksha Bandhan’. A
scrumptious meal is prepared on this day. People pack lunches and then
enjoy it with their families on the bank of Kaveri River. In some places,
special prayers and pujas are offered to Mother Kaveri.
- ‘Kumi patu’ or ‘Kummippatu’ is another ritual
observed on Kaanum Pongal. This ritual is very predominant in the rural
areas of Tamil Nadu and is done for speedy marriage of young girls whose
marriages are delayed for some reasons. During Kumi Patu, the girl is made
to sit in the middle of the circle and women dance around her to the tunes
of Kumi patu.
- The festival of Kaanum is the Tamil way of
celebrating Brother’s Day. On this day women feed the birds with rice and
pray for the prosperity of their brothers. This ritual is known as ‘Kanu’.
Sisters also visit the home of their brothers to inquire about their
well-being. Women also eat food made on the previous day for long life and
well being of their brothers.
- Kaanum Pongal is the day of merriment. People
visit each other’s home and mingle freely even with strangers. New relationships
are initiated and on Kaanum Pongal people believe it auspicious to make
marriage proposals.
- On the day of Kaanum Pongal, brothers give
gifts to their married sisters in exchange of love. Landlords also give
gits in the form of money,
clothes and food to their tenants. The younger’s in the family pay
their respect to elders and get a token of money as blessings in return.
- In the state of Andhra Pradesh, this day is
celebrated by worshipping cattles. This day is the favourite day for
non-vegetarians as people abstain from eating non-vegetarian food on the
first three days of Pongal and save it for the last day.
Kaanum Pongal is the
last day of Pongal festivities and on this day women ask blessings of their
brothers and ask for prosperity. Another ritual which is performed on this day
includes keeping the Pongal sweets on turmeric and betel leaves on the patio
with sugarcane and betel nuts.
Mythology
Behind Kanum Pongal:
The reference of Pongal festival can be traced back to Sangam
Period. The thanksgiving, bull fight and the feast followed by the prayers mark
a significant factor behind the growth of the entire Tamil community. The
bullfight is also known as Jallikattu. It is often a great festival, where the
people gather in large numbers to witness this great event.
Jallikattu players try to tame the ferocious bull. The player,
capable of controlling the ferocity of the bull would be rewarded enormously.
Indian Bull is said to be one of the superior varieties of bull across the
globe. This has a great resemblance with the bullfight of Spain, but the major
difference is that, the bull is not killed in India, rather consider it as a
great sporting event for a lot of people to admire the valour of the warrior.
Benefits of Celebrating Kanum
Pongal
·
While celebrating kanum
Pongal, the unity of the family is increased
·
It paves a great way to
be associated with the great part of our tradition, which teaches us to be
united and show gratitude in every aspect of life
·
It is believed that the
prayer of a sister would make a significant positive impact in the life of a
brother, which creates a feel of togetherness among the people
·
While celebrating this
day among the friends and relatives, there is a social unity, and the sense of
belonging among the people
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