Hi Everyone wanted to post this for quite sometime but only now got chance to do so. All these years during Pongal due to early school timing for the kids and office timings we celebrate Pongal only in the evenings (even though we know it need to be done early in the morning) After very long time Thai Pongal came during weekend. I thought it is not going to be difficult to negotiate with kids to have Pongal for morning breakfast to my surprise they have happily agreed. So I have decided to put Pongal in the morning. We did both White and Sakarai Pongal. To my surprise we also got sugar cane, turmeric and ginger at our downstairs market (normally we can get these only if we go to ”Little India””).. It is no where close to what we used to celebrate back home but this is the closest we can get.
History of Thai Pongal
Thai Pongal (Tamil: ???????????) is a harvest festival celebrated by Tamilians in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the Indian Union Territory of Pondicherry and Sri Lanka. Pongal is traditionally dedicated to the Sun God Surya, and marks the beginning of the northward journey of the Sun from its southernmost-limit, a movement traditionally referred to as uttarayana. It coincides with the festival Makara Sankranthi celebrated throughout India as the winter harvest, and is usually held from January 13–15 in the Gregorian calendar i.e. from the last day of the Tamil month Maargazhi to the third day of Thai.
In Chinese and Vietnamese tradition they also do similar things but in different time of the year – 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, which is in September or early October in the Gregorian calendar.