Happy Pongal 2023: All You Need to Know About the Tamil Harvest Festival, Check Photos

Thai is the first month of the Tamil Almanac, and Pongal is a dish of sweet concoction of rice, moong dal, jaggery and milk. (Image: PTI file)

This festival is celebrated by one and all as it is non-relevance to any particular religious faith. (Image: AP file)

The whole Tamil population of the world celebrate it without any differences. Therefore it is widely known as Tamil Thai Pongal" or the "Festival of the Tamils". (Image: Reuters file)

It is celebrated on the first day of the month Thai of the Tamil calendar. (Image: Reuters file)

The festival is a thanks giving ceremony in which the farmers celebrate the event to thank the spirits of nature spirit, the Sun and the farm animals for their assistance in providing a successful harvest. (Image: Reuters file)

The rest of the people celebrate the festival to pay their thanks to the farmers for the production of food. (Image: AP file)

Overall, it is a festival to encourage social cohesiveness and unite people by bringing them together in a common function. (Image: PTI file)

There are many songs about Thai Pongal and there is much Tamil literature about it. (Image: Reuters file)

Thai Pongal generally includes customs & celebrations that are the expression of jubilation over life's renewal. (Image: AP file)

On Thai Pongal, the family begins the day early. The traditional Pongal (rice pudding) is prepared in the front garden which is pre-prepared for this ceremonious cooking. (Image: Reuters file)

A flat square pitch is made and decorated with kolam drawings, and it is exposed to the direct sun light. A fire wood hearth will be set up using three bricks. The cooking begins by putting a clay pot with water on the hearth. (Image: Reuters file)

A senior member of the family conducts the cooking and the rest of the family assists him or her or watches the event. When the water has boiled the rice is put into the pot - after a member the family ceremoniously puts three handful of rice in first. (Image: AP file)

The other ingredients of this special dish are chakkarai (brown cane sugar) or katkandu (sugar candy), milk (cow's milk or coconut milk), roasted green gram (payaru), raisins, cashew nuts and few pods of cardamom. When the meal is ready it is first put on a banana leaf and the family pray for few minutes to thank the nature sprit, the sun and farmers. (Image: Reuters file)