By P. MANURACHNA
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 13: The Tamil community is all set to celebrate the Ponggal harvest festival on Thursday. Malaysian Indians are looking forward to a prosperous and successful year, as a Tamil proverb goes Thai piranthal vazhi pirakkum (the month of Thai brings new opportunities).
This year’s Pongal would be celebrated in the new norm due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Here’s what the Indian community has to say about celebrating the festival in new normal.
B.Sharmila said: “This Pongal may not seem to be joyful as my husband is far from me at his workplace, but I shall pray for everyone’s well-being for the betterment of pandemic. “Celebration may not seem the same but I shall always uphold the tradition of making Pongal with clay pot”, the 30-year-old teacher added.
Meanwhile, P. Saraswathi, 55, a homemaker from Serdang, said: “Since MCO was just announced, a celebration of Pongal will be at home and we are unable to go to the temple, that is a set-back as all auspicious day, Hindus will go to the temple to gain blessings. “But, I’m happy as my family is at home, and on this weekday, we can make Pongal together,” she told The Hindu Press with a smile.
V. Indrani, who is a director at a private company, said: “We used to go back to hometown to celebrate Pongal but the current situation is not allowing us to do so, this new normal to be observed and all my in-laws and siblings shall make Pongal at their own home for this year, but with all the traditional means that we have learned. “I do miss going back and having a get-together celebration, this time virtually perhaps,” she added.
The auspicious day falls in the 10th month in the Tamil calendar known as ‘Thai’.
This year, the auspicious time to prepare the sweet rice is between 9 am and 10.20 am or alternatively between 11.55 am and 1.20 pm, on Thursday. The celebration starts with the making of sweet rice in a traditional clay pot with wood fire by preparing three rectangular bricks kept as triangle-shaped, the clay pot to be placed in the mid-space and there will be fire with woods. Pongal is traditionally celebrated for four days starting with Bhogi, a day dedicated to Lord Indra for the land’s prosperity. The celebration also witnesses bonfires made from useless household and wastes. This also symbolizes getting rid of old and negative things from your life and start fresh.
The second day of the celebration is known as Sooriya Pongal, offering to Sun God in order to appreciate the good harvest. The following day is known as Maatu Pongal, a day to worship cows with makeovers done by farmers.
Kaanum Pongal is the last day of Pongal, performed by all women of the house assemble and pray for their family’s prosperity. In addition, sugarcane is also offered to the deity which symbolizes the joy, sweetness in life.
A new normal
A new normal of celebration is observed in Malaysia and a virtual blessing to begun for many as most of them are at work area leaving their parents at hometown.A difficult moment to have complete joy but appreciation and gratitude is indeed from the existing moment. May all of us pray for this situation to ease soon for better get together among families.
Stay Safe, Happy Pongal!
