Pongal Celebrations

In Southern India, Hemantha Ruthu runs from mid-December to mid-February (Margazhi-Thai per solar calendar and Margasirsha-Puasha per lunar calendar). It is the coldest, yet the most exciting time of the year for the young and old. In mid-January, Dhanurmasam ends on Bhogi. Next day the Sun begins his Northward movement for six months and enters Makara Rasi (Makara Sankramanam). This Northward movement of the Sun is known as Uttarayana Punyakalam (holy time) and is the beginning of a new SOLAR year. Makara Sankramanam is celebrated as Sankranthi festival in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and as Pongal in Tamil Nadu. Since, it falls at the end of the harvest season it brings much joy and happiness to everyone.

Here is a glimpse of how it was celebrated in South India, with its regional nuances, during the fifties and sixties.

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