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Pongal,
also known as Makar Sankranti, is a state festival closely associated
with the agricultural life of the people in the states of Tamil Nadu and
Karnataka. This festival is celebrated over three days in the middle of
January to mark the joy of the new harvest season. On the first day, known
as Bogi, people throw away some of their old belongings (or burn some
of their old pots and clothes in a village bonfire), symbolizing the dispelling
of evil spirits from their homes. Next, houses are cleaned, painted, and
decorated. Women draw beautiful patterns (kolams), with colored and moistened
rice flour, on pots, pans, the fronts of doorsteps, and at places where
special food is prepared for festival. The next day is the first of the
month, Thai. The celebrations begin with the cooking of newly harvested
rice, which is allowed to boil and overflow, symbolizing the hope of abundance
of harvest or wealth.
The third day is Mattuppongal, or "the thanking of the farmer's best friends,"
the cows and the bulls are sprinkled with turmeric powder to ward off
evil spirits. Their foreheads are lovingly decorated with red powder,
their horns are polished and garlands of beads, flowers and jewelry are
placed around their necks or hung from their horns. The specially decorated
animals are paraded through villages to the cheers of huge crowds. The
festival concludes with people playing games, such as Manja Virattu, a
chase for turmeric, and Jalli kattu, a game similar to a rodeo where men
chase bull and winner takes whatever is hung from the neck and horns of
the bull.
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