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| Sunday, 16 January 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Thai opens road to prosperity by K. K. Arumainayagam
Soil, sun and shower help the farmer to reap a bountiful harvest besides his enthusiastic efforts in paddy cultivation. Rice is the staple food of Sri Lankans. Irrigation is available in certain parts of our country but some parts completely depend on rain for paddy cultivation. The gains and losses in cultivation depend on rain. Saint Thiruvalluvar in Thirukkural says thus: "Destruction it may sometimes pour But only rain can life restore" Thai Pongal is the offering of cooked rice to the sun in a spirit of gratitude. Hindus piously celebrate this festival since they believe that it would bring good. "Thai Piranthal Vali Pirakkum" (dawn of Thai opens the road to prosperity) is a proverb spoken by Thamil Hundus. They discard all unwanted old things on the day prior to Thai Pongal add new things and prepare for this festival. They clean the house premises, wash and paint the house and give it in a new atmosphere. The sun moves northwards during the period from January to June which is called Utharayanam and from July to December it moves southwards and it is called Dakshinayanam. Thai Pongal falls on the 1st day of "Thai", the tenth month in the Thamil calendar. It is a sacred day for farmers and it is also called "Ulavar Thirunal" - farmers' day. In olden days people worshipped nature and had their living linked with nature, thereby they lived happily and peacefully. Now the situation is not so; natural resources are being destroyed and the people face the consequences of it. Annual rainfall has been reduced, drought hit some parts of this country. Nature should be protected to overcome this situation. Thai Pongal in brief, is the preparation of sweetened milk rice. On Thai Pongal Day, Hindus take a bath early in the morning and wear new clothes. The courtyard is smeared with a coat of fresh cowdung and 'kolam' (design drawn on the floor using rice flour) drawn thereon. Since every Hindu religious festival commences with the worship to Lord Vinayagar, fresh cowdung and grass are used to form a tiny symbol of Vinayagar in conicular shape and placed inside the 'kolam'. Kumbam (a pot filled with water and a coconut in the mouth of it and mango leaves are placed in between the coconut and the mouth of the pot) is placed, the oil lamps lit and the Pongal is started using a new clay hearth and new clay pot. The pot is adorned with mango, ginger and saffron leaves tied round its neck. Then the pot filled with milk and water is placed on the hearth and boiled using firewood and Pongal is prepared using the new rice from the field. Once the Pongal is over, it is offered to the sun with dedication. Devotional songs such as Thevaram, Thiruvasagam are sung. Children enjoy by lighting crackers. After the pooja is over, Pongal is shared among the family members and with relatives and friends. It is really a joyous festival especially for farmers, expressing their gratitude to the sun. The following day "Mattu Pongal" is performed, to show the farmers' gratitude to the cattle. The farmer uses cattle to plough the field and to draw the cart throughout the year and he gets milk from the cow. Madu in Thamil means cattle. The cattle are bathed and decorated with sandal paste, kumkum and garlands. Pongal is prepared and pooja is performed to denote Matu Pongal. Special poojas are held in temples and Pongal is performed there. Hindus worship at the temple on this auspicious day to invoke blessings of God. Let us ask God to console the tsunami stricken people of this country and to establish peace and happiness on earth. |
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