India is a land with primary profession as agriculture. Changes in season thus play a very important role for Indian farmers. Their lifestyles and celebrations are thus exclusively linked to the seasonal landmarks in a year. There are many Indian festivals which are in tune with a farmer's lifestyle and also with the seasonal variations in a year. Pongal, the gather festival of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu is one of them Pongal is one of the most popular gather festivals of South India, mainly in Tamil Nadu. Pongal is celebrated in the month of January and marks the auspicious beginning of Uttarayan-"Sun's journey northwards". Pongal festival lasts for four days. Celebrations include drawing of Kolam, swinging & cooking of delicious Pongal. The Tamil equivalent of Thanksgiving. It is held to honor the Sun, for a good harvest. Families gather to celebrate and share their joy and their harvests with others. The Sun is offered a "Pongal" of rice and milk. Literally meaning "Boiling over", Pongal, signify the advent of success. Pongal is normally celebrated over a period of four days, starting on the 13th January. Since the calculation to determine the day is based on the solar calendar, the date doesn't change. It is considered a very favorable occasion when the Sun transits the Capricorn sign. Hence, there is the invocation of the Sun God and the God of Rain at the time of Pongal. The period is referred to as Uttarayan Punyakalam and is considered auspicious. Legend has it that the Devas wake up after a six-month long slumber during this period. And so it is believed that those pass away during Uttarayana attain salvation. In fact, Bheeshma is believed to have waited for the dawn of Uttarayana before he gave up his life. Here is a brief description of the four-day-long celebrations of Pongal festival.

The first day, Bhogi, is celebrated on the last day of the month of Margazhi. Scholars have often compared Bhogi to the Indra Vizha celebrated by the Chola kings at Kaveripattinam, also known as Poompuhar. Indra Vizha was celebrated in honour of Lord Indra, also called Bhogi, the God of thunder and rain. A special puja is performing on bogi before the cutting of paddy. Farmers worship the sun and the earth by anointing their ploughs and sickles with sandalwood stick. It is with these consecrated tools that the newly-harvested rice is cut.
The Bonfire
Another custom observed on this day is Bhogi Mantalu, when useless household articles are thrown into a fire made of wood and cow-dung cakes. Girls dance around the beacon, singing songs in praise of the gods, the spring and the harvest. The significance of the bonfire, in which is burnt the agricultural wastes and firewood is to keep warm during the last lap of winter.

The second day is Surya Pongal also known as Perum Pongal. It is the most important day and people worship Surya, the Sun God and his consorts, Chaya and Samgnya. There are several myths associated with Surya Pongal. A sage named Hema prayed to Lord Vishnu on the banks of the Pottramarai tank in Kumbakonam. On Surya Pongal day, the lord is believed to have taken the form of Sarangapani and blessed the sage. Yet another legend has it that Lord Shiva performed a miracle where a stone image of an elephant ate a piece of sugarcane. Women wake in the early hours on this day to create complex 'kolam' on the grounds in front of their house. Kolam is created with colored rice flour placed on the ground carefully by using one's hand. The women take an hour to finish the kolam. After this day the new rice is collected and cooked in pots until they over flow. It is this overflowing which means Pongal. This overflowing of rice is a joyous occasion, and the children and adults as well shout out 'Pongal-o-Pongal!

Mattu Pongal is made up of two words; 'Mattu' in Tamil means "cow". Pongal, also in Tamil Language, literally means "boiled rice" The third day is Mattu Pongal, celebrated to glorify cattle that help farmers in a countless ways. On this day, the cows are bathed and decorated with new clothes and garlands and fed. A festival called Jallikattu is held in Madurai, Tiruchirapalli and Tanjavur on this day. This sport is held generally in the evening of the Mattu Pongal day. Bundles of money are tied to the horns of ferocious bulls which the villagers try to retrieve. Everyone joins in the community meal, at which the food is made of the freshly harvested grain. This day is named and celebrated as Tamizhar Tirunal in a fitting manner throughout Tamil Nadu. This sport is much bloodier than the traditional Jallikattu observed 500 years ago.

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. On this day, people travel to see other family members and the younger members of the family pay homage to the elders, and the elders thank them by giving money. People use to go Movies Theaters, Zoos, Parks, Tourist destinations, wildlife sanctuaries, beaches, especially the Marina Beach in Chennai, witness heavy rush on Kaanum Pongal.