• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

MANY PEOPLE are perplexed by the differences between Onam and Pongal, wondering what they actually mean and people do get together at festivals to rejoice, get closer, and unite. The first two that come to mind while discussing South Indian holidays are Onam and Pongal. These two holidays are among the most widely observed in the southern subcontinent.

Oman Festival: What Is It?

Onam, an annual harvest festival, requires a lavish ten-day celebration between August and September. Everyone participates in the holiday, regardless of caste or faith. If you happen to be in the state at this time of year, don't miss the festivities. The festival's most intense activities are all topped by the renowned Aranmula Snake Boat Race. A large street procession featuring gold-decorated elephants, artists, and dancers is seen in Thrissur. In Onathallu, where men engage in a bare-handed mock fight, the martial spirit of warriors is imagined.

The Pongal Festival Is What?

On Bogi Pongal, the first day of the festival, people worship the sun deity and the soil as the start of the Pongal celebrations. People create a bonfire at night to burn all of the carpets, believing that the flames will purge them of their troubles, misery, sins, and confusions.

Cows celebrate Mattu Pongal as a day of thanks for their invaluable assistance with irrigation and agricultural tillage. There is no need for any tourists to miss out on this day of vivacious celebration. The dish's signature flavour is a dessert made with jaggery and simple salted rice.

The final day of the festival, Kaanum Pongal, honours intergenerational love. One can observe the smaller children receiving blessings from their parents and other adults. The bull-taming performance in Alanganallur, "Jalli kattu," is then shown.

All of these festivals call for a vacation from the everyday grind and are full of anticipation and hope. Every one of them has a unique specialty, such as certain sweets, customs, harvests, seasons, and events.