Pongalo Pongal! A pongal pot about to boil over in Sri Lanka (Image: Sunday Observer)

Chennai and Tamil Nadu will come to life today with widespread celebrations for the annual harvest festival of Thai Pongal, also known simply as Pongal.

Celebrated by Tamils in India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Singapore and further afield, Pongal is the biggest festival in the Tamil cultural calendar.

As the day breaks this morning in Chennai, the ritual boiling over of milk in clay pots will signal the start of a new harvest, and represent the abundance of the new season. Pongal is seen as a celebration of the sun, whose rays provide sustenance for the year ahead.

Pongal celebrations in Chennai (Image: The Hindu)

Rangolis are traditionally drawn on the doorsteps of Tamil homes, while sweet dishes are served and clothes are replaced and refreshed. Houses and gates are adorned with mango and banana tree leaves, signifying the haul of produce.

Similar festivals across India are seen as being related, however Thai Pongal is often recognised as being a quintessentially Tamil festival and a significant Tamil cultural marker.

Today’s festival also coincides with Milad an-Nabi, the date of the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, celebrated by some sections of Chennai’s Muslim community. Pongal is a public holiday for Tamil Nadu, and Milad an-Nabi is a national holiday in India.

UrbanDuniya wishes all of our readers a happy, healthy and bountiful Thai Pongal!