India is a country of celebrations. We Indians need a reason to party so, and we honor any occasion or festival. One of the festivals that we love to celebrate is Pongal. The Pongal is a Hindu festival mainly celebrated in the Tamil Nadu region of India. Tamilians (People of Tamil Nadu) celebrate Pongal with dazzle, glory, and enthusiasm. Pongal is a 4 day festival that marks the beginning of the harvest season. It starts on the 14th of January and goes on till 17th January.
Those of you like to know more about Pongal, its history, and the celebrations of Pongal, and we have prepared a complete guide to Pongal.
Table of Contents
History and Heritage Values of Pongal
Pongal is also known as Thai Pongal in southern states; it’s a four-day festival in which the first day is called Bhogi Pongal, followed by Surya Pongal, Mattu Pongal, and the last day is called Kanum Pongal. Tamilians celebrate it at the beginning of harvest season, and it is dedicated Pongal to the God of Sun, also known as Surya Dev in Hindi. On that day, winter ends, and the journey toward longer days starts.
The word Pongal means to overflow, and it is associated with a ritual of boiling rice and milk until it overflows from the pot. The people in the south believe that overflowing pot brings them prosperity and happiness in the coming year. The celebration of Pongal starts with decorating the houses, shops, and offices on the first day called Bhogi Pongal. They also worship Indra dev for good crops and yields, the next day on Surya Pongal, they perform some sacred rituals and pray to Surya dev. On Mattu Pongal, they adorn and honor their cattle as Mattu literally means Bulls and Tamilians complete the celebration of Pongal on the fourth day by relaxing, enjoying, and exchanging gifts with family members, relatives, and friends. It is also believed that starting new bonds and relationships on the fourth day of Pongal is very auspicious, so people arrange marriages on that day.
Fantastic and Creative Gift ideas on this Pongal
Pongal is an exciting festival celebrated by the Tamil people. The colorful festival is dedicated to the Lord of Heaven “Indra” and the Lord of Light “Surya Dev”. Tamilians wait for this day to celebrate this day with great excitement and enthusiasm. They feel blessed and agreeably show their love for the animals and the Lord for blessing them with a good harvest. To celebrate Pongal happily, we can send gifts and sweets to our dear ones; here are some fascinating gift ideas to embrace this auspicious Pongal festival.
1. Dry-fruits and Sugar-free Sweets
Dry-fruits are full of vitamins and proteins as they improve and boost the immune system. So if your dear one is diabetic and wanted to have something that will surely help them improve their health, gifting them Dry-fruits or Sugar-free sweets is one of the Joyful Pongal gifts for them, and that they will surely welcome it with a whole heart. So, hurry up! Send them this healthy product!!
2. Spiritual Gifts
Pongal is dedicated to Lord Indra and Lord Surya to give us the essential thing- Food for all of humankind and good yield in farms Lord Ganapati, aka Ganesha, is also worshiped on this auspicious day. You can spread more love and fortune by gifting Idols, Puja thali, handbell, and many more religious things. So, make up your mind and give them any of these spiritual gifts to your friends and family and make their year more blessed.
3. Plants and Flower
Plants are the source of life, and Pongal is celebrated to dedicate and show our love for them. Plants and flowers are the best gifts given to humans by mother-nature. On this day of the Pongal festival, gifting Flowers or Plants to our friends, family, and beloved is an outstanding choice to commemorate this carnival. So hurry up and take a walk with us to get more creative choices in plants and flowers.
4. Gift Hamper
Choosing a perfect gift is not easy, and some people make it harder. The best thing to gift those picky and snobbish people is a gift hamper. A gift hamper is a big package that contains many small and big gifts inside. So with a number of products inside the hamper, the chances of not liking any gift are few and far, and you can choose a hamper as per their desires as you can gift a cosmetic hamper to a fashionista and food hamper to a foodie.
5. Chocolates and Cake
The dessert for any occasion and age is here again. You can gift chocolates on Diwali, Christmas, New Year, or Pongal, and this delicious treat will have the same effect every time. Now cutting a cake is not only limited to birthdays and anniversaries, but people have also been indulging in it whenever they can. If you don’t have any other idea for a gift on Pongal festival then cakes and chocolates are always there for you.
Ending Note:
Even though Pongal is mainly associated with Tamilians, People from other Southern starts and even all over India also celebrate Pongal with pomp. They decorate their houses and prepare Huggi (Pongal Dish). On the same day, another festival is also marked by India’s People, known as Makar Sakranti. On Pongal, the tradition of exchanging gifts is also significant as it makes the bond between people grew stronger, and if you want to buy quality gifts for your beloved and friends, then Giftalove.com is always there for you. Giftalove.com is an online store, and it aims to provide quality goods at affordable prices. They offer a range of products from flowers to cake, from personalized gifts to spiritual gifts and their delivery services are quick and hassle-free so, you can also send Pongal gifts Online. Visit Giftalove.com and order your perfect gifts with just a few clicks.
Sakshi Ecavade is our in-house content developer having a good understanding about the gifting industry. She creates quality content surrounding flowers, chocolates, plants, cakes, and other products which makes excellent gifts for the people. Accurate and authentic information is what she tries to deliver through her blogs.