The preparation of Pongal festival are quite elaborate and starts several days before the actual date of celebration. Pongal is one such festival in which not only people are charged up, but animals also join in the Pongal preparation. People get busy decking up their houses, discarding old and unwanted things. Many of them get busy giving a fresh coat of paint to their homes. Women are engrossed in rangoli patterns and colors.
In preparation for Pongal, houses and courtyards are cleaned and a new string of fresh mango leaves is hung at the front door of the house. The making of sweet rice is the most important preparation done. This is a dish prepared with rice, dal, jaggery, dry fruits, sugar and milk. All these ingredients are cooked in a new clay pot in the open and allowed to boil over, signifying plenty and prosperity for the year ahead. This is offered to the Sun God and partaken as prasad.
Pongal preparation is actually done for three-day, with Bhogi coming on January 13th , Pongal on 14th and Kanumu on 15th every year. On the Bhogi day, the Pongal Preparation involve all family members cleaning up the whole house, getting rid of all the useless things by throwing them into a bonfire that is lit before sunrise. On the Pongal day, the houses are decked up to look their best. New clothes for the family is a must, and gifts are bestowed to all relatives, specially newly married couples and babies.
Kanumu is also called as Mattu Pongal, when the cattle and especially the cows are worshiped. Cow is the harbinger of prosperity through milk and working in the fields along with the bulls. They are painted and decorated with bells, seashells, and beads. They are garlanded and taken out around the village in a procession. The entire atmosphere becomes festive and full of fun and revelry.
