Pongal Festival Short Essay For Kids

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An English Essay On Pongal Festival- Pongal Festival Short Essay For Kids

SubjectWrite an English essay on Pongal Festival   in your words.
ComplexityMedium
Grade/Class5th to 10th standard
Number of words350 words
Age group 10- 15 years
In the south India, The biggest festival of Hindus is Pongal. It is celebrated after the winter solstice ( MakarSankranti) in the month of the Paus ( January- February) . It is celebrated mainly in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. In Tamil Nadu it is known as Pongal and in Andhra Pradesh as Sankranti. Pongal is a sweet preparation of rice, milk and jiggery. It is a harvest festival.
Pongal is a Tamil word means which means ‘overflowing’. This festival signifies good wishes, wealth, abundance and prosperity.Pongal is celebrated for four days. A rathyatra procession is taken out from the Kandaswamy temple in Chennai ,on the day of Pongal. The first day of celebrating Pongal is known as Bhogi Pongal. The celebrations are confined within families and it is a family festival. The second day is Surya Pongal or Sun Worship. Rice boiled in milk and flavored with jiggery is offered to the Sun God. It is customary for friends to greet each other. On the third day, cattle are worshiped and called Mattu Pongal. On this day all cattle and birds are fed. Pongal is offered to local deities. The fourth day and the last day of the festival is known as Kannum Pongal. This is a time for re-union of friends and families. The younger people seek blessings of the elders.
In Tanjore, Madurai and Tiruchirapalli, Pongal is known as Jellikattu.  Pongal is celebrated cutting across social barriers. Community meals are prepared from the freshly harvested rice. Everyone is invited to the meal and enjoy the festival. Pongal is a day for peace and happiness for all. Pongal also marks the beginning of a New Year and is the day to praise and thank God with full devotion, faith and sincerity of heart.
Pongal is celebrated during the same time as ‘BhogaliBihu’ in the North Eastern State of Assam, Lohri in Punjab, ‘Bhogi’ in Andhra Pradesh and ‘MakarSankranti’ in the rest of the country, including Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal.

Facts About Pongal

  • The term ‘pongal’ in Tamil means “to boil”, and this festival is celebrated as a thanksgiving ceremony for the year’s harvest.
  • The origin of Pongal can be traced back to Sangam Age, a period extending from 200 BC to 300 AD. The festival was celebrated as Thai Niradal. During the period, unmarried girls prayed for agricultural prosperity of the country and for the purpose, they observed penance during the Tamil month of Margazhi, corresponding (December-January).
  • Pongal is associated with many legends but one of the most popular ones is the legend of Govardhan Mountain and legend of Lord Shiva and his bull, Nandi. According to the legend of Govardhan Mountain, Lord Krishna lifted the mountain on his little finger on Bhogi, which is the first day of Pongal, to protect the cattle and people from Indra, an angry rain god.
  • The Tamils also remember the poet Tiruvalluvar, who was born on this. The last day is Kaanum Pongal. It is that part of the festival when families used to gather on the riverbanks and have a sumptuous meal (kootanchoru). It is also time for some traditional dances such as kummi and kolattam. In recent years, that day is celebrated as Uzhavar Tirunal in honor of farmers.
  • According to the legend of Lord Shiva, on the third day of Pongal, Lord Shiva sent his buffalo Nandi to tell people to have oil bath daily and eat once a month. However, Nandi became confused and told people to eat daily and bathe once a month. This angered Lord Shiva so he placed Nandi on earth to help humans harvest for more food, therefore Pongal became a harvest festival.

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