Thanks, Wikipedia.
Ponggal is a harvest festival widely celebrated by Tamils and other Indians.
Ponggal coincides with the festival Makara Sankranthi celebrated throughout India.
Ponggal in Tamil means "boiling over." The boiling over of milk in the clay pot symbolises material abundance for the family.
The festival occurs between January 13 and 15, from the last day of the Tamil month Maargazhi to the third day of the month of Thai.
It marks the sun’s northward shift.
The day preceding Ponggal in Tamil Nadu is Bhogi. It is a day to discard old materials and repaint one’s house.
On Ponggal, families boil rice with milk, brown sugar, cashew nuts and raisins.
Telugus, Orissans, Bengalis, Punjabis, Marathis and Gujaratis call the festival Sankranthi. Gujaratis also call it Uttarayana and Punjabis also call it Lohri.
