Thaipongal

January is the celebration of Thai Pongal, the merriest and by far the most popular of the Hindu festivals of Sri Lanka. This feast of the sun, the harbinger of a plentiful harvest, should, strictly speaking, be observed on December 23, the day after the northern solstice. but Hindu astrologers have, however, fixed the date to coincide with January 14, the first day of the auspicious month of Thai. this family festival, with many time - hallowed rituals begins with the boiling of a pot of rice at sunrise on the front doorstep of the house and the delightful cry of the family gathered round the pot: "Pongal! Pongal! auchu!" which means exactly what one would expect" It's boiling It's boiling!"