▎ 淡米爾人慶豐收（Thai Pongal）

Thai Pongal

早上吃早餐時遇上先前問問題認識的Jega，他提醒我今天一早有Pongal，遙記去年世遺紀念日請出一整套慶豐收的擺設：陶甕、甘蔗、粥、牛、幾何圖騰(kolam)。

Pongal在南印度、錫蘭是淡米爾人的大日子，時間約莫落在淡米爾曆的第十個月份（Thai），在印度算冬至，也是冬季感謝太陽神（Surya=🌞）為大家帶來糧食穀物而慶祝豐收的感恩節。因此人們會在家中院子走廊或寺廟中，趁著太陽初升起時豎立三枝甘蔗枝，並用木條起火，上面架著繪有植物圖樣的陶甕，烹煮熱熱的pongal粥以感謝---Ponga這個字代表「煮沸、火滾」，所以常常看到牛奶沸騰的圖畫。當牛奶煮沸了，再添加米、麥片、紅豆、葡萄乾、腰果、薑黃等香料，超級甜的粥則加了以棕櫚樹製成的塊狀黃糖（jaggery）熬製而成，有時甜中帶著些許的辛辣感 。

四天的慶祝包含了：
1）家裏除舊佈新，象徵一種循環；2）拜祭太陽神，並在家門口撒米粉畫上幾何圖案，三枝甘蔗枝下也有畫；3）牛具有幫助人們耕作和帶來富裕和豐收的象徵，除了餵牛吃pongal粥，也會在牛角和前額撒上粉紅色粉；4）相互拜訪親友。

華人似乎忙著咚咚鏘過新年，其實我的時間過的好慢，而月曆又再標上一個---印裔Pongal慶豐收，感謝！

My friend Jega reminded me that there is Thai Pongal ceremony today. The Tamils will settle earthen jar, sugarcane, porridge, cattle and kolam for celebration.

Pongal is the first day of the tenth month “Thai” in Tamil calendar no matter what religious faith you are belonging to. Pongal, the winter solstice day of India, people will convey their thanksgiving to Surya, the god of Sun. The family begins the day early and set up tripod of sugarcane that is facing the sun in the courtyard of house or temple and catch fire by woodpile. They put some painted colourful pattern earthen jar on it and boil the porridge with milk. Pongal means boil the rice, and add some grains and spices including jaggery (palm sugar), cereals, mung beans, raisins, chews nuts and turmeric, and etc..  

The four-day ceremony was consist of 1) to clean the house, it means cycling 2) to pray Surya, the nature spirits and so on, to draw a geometric rangoli under the sugarcane tripod 3) cattle, the assistance in providing a successful harvest to whole family. People feed cattle the porridge and paint some pink on its forehead and horns 4) to visit friend and siblings each other, it encourage social conhesiveness .

At the meanwhile, the Chinese prepare for their lunar new year as well. 

15-18 Jan 2016

#LuLukis #LuisaHung #Pongal #ThaiPongal #Hinduism #Malaysia #Penang

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