Pongal and Kanu Obseervances

[Guest guest]

Satyan, Nagu on Wed, Jan 15, 1997 12:38 PM

Pongal and Kanu Obseervances

bhakti digest

 

Part of any Sri Vaishnavite celebration is preparing a big meal,

reciting prayers, offering the food to God for his blessings and enjoy

the sumptious meal! Yesterday evening after my work schedule, we

celebrated Pongal at home. Since our only son is at college, it takes

a lot of effort to get into the spirit. However my mother compensates

by taking about the traditional way of celebrations and evening

identifying what items need to be prepared!

 

As I was reading Smt. Indira Prativadi's posting, I too was reminded

about my childhood in Bangalore and the traditional pongal and kanu

celebrations. We used to cook the pongal in big vanga paanai, tie a

string around it with alternating sugar cane and fresh manja kombu.

On four sides of the vessel we would apply manjal and kunguman. When

the milk and water overflowed, we would all shout the traditional

rhyme "Pongalo Pongal". My guess is all the elements used represent

the crop abundant this time of the year. When my son was young, I

used a regular saucepan and tied a string using dried mana kombu and

very very dry sugarcane from supermarket. It is not the same but

something to keep it going.

 

According to my mother the traditional food items for Pongal include

saadam, paruppu, Aviyal, Thayir vadai (vs plain vadai for Bhogi), VeNN

and sakkarai pongal, saathummadu etc. In southern India since a lot

of families are/were celebrate these festivals, it is easy to get into

the spirits and enjoy the cultural aspects of the festivals akin to

Christmas spirit here.

 

So to keep up some traditions, I did prepare a big meal yesterday, we

recited Thiruppaavai and enjoyed the meal. Today is Kanu and

traditionally we would prepare five different types of rice--two

pongals, rice, manjal rice and kungumam rice. The whole family would ,

in our backyard, one by one, offer the rices(s) in small ball shapes.

I do not know why--my mother would, ask us to say "kaakakum

kuruvikkum kalyaanam". As robots all of us would do that. She would

do karpoora aarathi and we would all do namskarams (sEvippOm). Then

she would take us to her parents house and she would do the same.

Her brothers would give her a kanu gift (similar to Raakhi in Northern

India). Being raised in Bangalore, we followed traditional "yeLLu

beeradhu", making shapes from pure sugar, roasted white sesame mixed

with peanuts, jaggery and copra (dried cocoanut). Along with that

would be karumbu, a blouse piece, comb etc depending on the families

capabilities.

 

My mother grew up In Kanchipuram in her grandparents home. During her

childhood, they would go to a field and place the colored rice. Again,

I believe it is to offer thanks to the harvest using the elements

representative of the season. My husband's family also follows Kanu

even today. He sends his token gift to all his six sisters and since

I do not have a brother I do it for all my five younger sisters. We

still continue with the placing of colored rice and this evening we

will be doing it. Ofcourse, this time of the year (winter) it is rare

to see any bird flying over our house.

 

My understanding is that way way back, around this time the families

would have harvested big crops and celebrate it by sharing it with

family members. In fact, the cows would be dressed up with colored

aprons, garlands, etc and worshipped. In the evening the cows would

walk over fire. This to remove evil eyes effect and ensure that the

cows continue to produce milk in large quantities and bulls stay

healthy to plough the land. I am not sure how much these are still

followed in families.

 

Re Sri Anand's question about Sri Vaishnavite specialities, and Sri

Sundar's response, high on this list should be sakkarai pongal and

Thirukannan amadhu.

 

I hope someone in this group will shed some light into the rationale

behind sone of the symbolic observances.

 

NAGU SATYAN