Uzhavar Thirunal

Uzhavar Thirunal is a farmer’s festival observed in Tamilnadu, Uzhavar in Tamil meaning ‘the farmer’ and ‘Thirunal’ to mean ‘the festival’. As a matter of fact, Pongal festival is only known as Uzhavar Thirunal as the whole village economy depends mainly  on the farmers' produce, all act of virtues  revolving  around them, it became a festival to honor this section of society during this day.

Uzhavar Thirunal is a unique festival of Tamilnadu, traditionally known to be Pongal or Thamizharthirunal which means the festival of Tamils, however it is basically a harvest festival celebrated in South India at the time of concluding harvest season.

Uzhavar Thirunal comes every year in mid January, when the Sun enters zodiac sign of Capricorn also changing his pathway from Dakshinayana to Uttarayana, the day being recognized as Makar Sankranti. Makaram is the Sun Sign Capricorn in Sanskrit and the Sun entering that sign is called so.

The day is also a moment of joy, with the agricultural produce coming home in plenty, farmers and other households having  feasts with rice cooked with dhal and Jaggery, which item is also named Pongal  more specifically Sarkarai Pongal in Tamil, to mean, Jaggery rice or Sweet Rice.

Farmers and other people  of Tamilnadu celebrate Uzhavar Thirunal with lot of gaiety and joy, women folks singing and dancing with music specific to the occasion, the rituals including constructing a small mud house within the house, decorating it and cooking milk in that space.

History

Pongal festival day or Makar Sankranti celebration of the year dates back more than 1000 years, as established by Epigraphic studies. The Pongal festival celebrated earlier days in Tamilnadu as Puthyeedu linking it to the harvest season, later period getting the name Pongal. Naming it Uzhavar Thirunal is of recent origin.

Sugar Canes are of importance on Uzhavar Thirunal day, so with the Turmeric Plants and they  are used for decorating the front of the house, so also the green turmeric  plants with their roots hanging in clusters, indicating the sweetness and auspiciousness of the season.

Uzhavar Thirunal is also linked with a number of legends; predominant among them is Lord Krishna holding the Govardhan mount with his little finger on the day prior to Makar Sankranti. Another legend connects Makar Sankranti is that Lord Shiva sent his companion Bull called Nandi to earth to instruct people as to how they should take oil bath and how one should observe penance, which Nandi messed up, with the result he was ordained to stay on the earth to help farming community to plough their lands. It is because of this fact; people allot one of the days of Pongal celebrations exclusively to the Bull, called Mattu Pongal, the prefix for Pongal denoting Bull.

Uzhavar Thirunal, which is Pongal or Sankranti day, is observed with many regional names, which include Lohri, Bihu, Hadaga, Poke etc.

The Celebrations

Uzhavar Thirunal festival extends literally for four days, starting from Bhogi the first day, the main Pongal festival, which is referred as Pandigai day, the Mattu Pongal on the third day and Kaanum Pongal or the meeting day of family members coming as the fourth day. In some areas Kaanum Pongal day is also called Kanu Podi, which involves women members of the home spreading feast for the birds at the roof tops of the houses, with prayers for the welfare of their brotherly kins.

Bhogi is celebrated with a bonfire absorbing all the old things of the house, to start the fresh year with all new things on the next day.

Pongal Pandigai day is celebrated by boiling milk first and then rice with fresh milk and Jaggery in a freshly made clay pot. The boiling of milk and Pongal rice is done mostly before the Sunrise, for offering them to the Sun God as he rises.  The Pongal feast is also a much awaited event for everyone, because large numbers of dishes with almost all vegetables included in them are offered in the feast. In some houses, the entire length of plantain leaf is spread with vegetable dishes from one end to the other, exiting the eater to the brim.

Mattu Pongal which falls on the third day, all Bulls and Cows are given bath, decorated with flowers, offered sweet Pongal along with sugar canes and their leaves. In some areas like Madurai, in Tamilnadu, a special programme is conducted in which Bull fighting, Bull race etc are conducted and every youth participates in it to show his valor, particularly to impress upon their fiancées.  Nowadays, such bull controlling events are prohibited because of the accidents experienced in the past.

During Kaanum Pongal, the married and unmarried women folks of the house, prepared colored rice items of four or five varieties and spread them in the leaves of turmeric plant inviting birds to come and eat. This function has similar sentiments to Bhai Dhooj celebrated in the northern part of the country. This day is also celebrated as Thiruvalluvar Day in recent times.

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