Our first ever festival of the year,
Celebrated with pomp and splendour,
This four day fiesta of Harvesting,
Marks the promising beginning,
Of the auspicious month Thai,
That signifies the eradication of obstacles,
And restoration of prosperity.
Beginning from Boghi, a whole day feast,
Ending at night by burning old stuffs.
Next day highlights the main function,
Called as Pongal, as we make Pongal,
On the earthen pot, by tying around Manjal,
The turmeric plant and offering it along,
The whole sugarcane to the Sun God.
It’s the cattle’s festival the next day,
As the farmers hail their sole feeders, the Bulls,
Called as Mattu Pongal, also a Raksha Bandhan for Tamils,
Where girls feed the crows the first day’s meal,
Belief is that ritual would bless their brothers,
And the brothers would protect them in return.
Last day of the celebration ends with Kanum Pongal,
With relatives visiting each other for the occasion,
A dead duck by the night of the fourth,
But indulging in this festivity is pure mirth,
It’s indeed a magical boon,
That the taste of the rice and pulses,
Cooked in milk and jaggery water,
Turns out to be the ambrosia,
That would last in the taste buds,
Till the next year’s Pongal.
#NaPoWriMo #poem #pongal #festival #poetry