“Ponggalo Ponggal! Ponggalo Ponggal!”
This familiar cheer usually erupts this time of the year as rice, milk and brown sugar are boiled in decorated clay pots until they overflow atop firewood stoves.
Worry not about the spillage, because this is exactly the kind of reaction celebrants are expecting, as the word ‘Ponggal’ itself signifies abundance and prosperity.
Jolly chants follow, and then, ingredients such as rice, jaggery (cane sugar), ghee and cashew nuts are added to the overflowing mix.
Relatives and friends gather for this occasion, and the usual greeting that accompanies their visit is, “Has the rice boiled?”
It goes without saying that the sweet Ponggal dish will then be consumed and enjoyed by those present in the household to celebrate the harvest, and to mark the end of the winter solstice.
While most Malaysians might have an inkling as to what Thai Ponggal is all about, not many know that it is actually a four-day-long festival.
The first day is known as Bhogi is where old clothes and materials are thrown away and burned, marking the beginning of a new life.
This is followed by the second day of Ponggal, known as Thai Ponggal.
This is where the Ponggal dish is cooked until the milk boils over and special prayers are offered to Surya Bagavan – the God of Sun.
As part of the ritual, turmeric plants are tied around the clay pot and those celebrating decorate their houses with mango leaves and colourful kolam patterns made of rice flour.
Stalks of sugarcane will also be used during this time as it symbolises sweetness and prosperity.
The third day – the day after Ponggal – is called Maatu Ponggal, during which one offers thanks to bulls and cows since these animals play an important role in farming.
On this day, their horns are decorated, and flower garlands and bells are tied around their necks.
The fourth and final day of Ponggal is known as Kaanum Ponggal, and it is a day dedicated to visiting relatives and friends.
But this year, the usual excitement of Ponggal has been replaced with hushed celebrations due to the increase of Covid-19 cases in the country.
Thirty-year-old Narmataa Muthu, who resides in Ipoh, tells FMT that the pandemic has affected her family in a major way as they usually celebrate Ponggal on a large scale.
In fact, Ponggal is a much grander affair for Narmataa’s family – grander than Deepavali.
Sadly, this year, they will not be having any family members or close friends to celebrate Ponggal with, as any sense of festivity has disappeared.
“My mother and I will probably just make some simple Ponggal in the kitchen and finish with prayers at home. If there wasn’t a pandemic, we would now be busy arranging decorations with sugarcanes and preparing the clay pot to make Ponggal early in the morning.
“After that, we would have prayers at home, proceed to the temple and end the day with relatives and friends coming over for a vegetarian lunch,” she laments.
Meanwhile, in Petaling Jaya, 26-year-old Kalppana Manokaran is spending her first Ponggal away from her family in Negeri Sembilan due to the Movement Control Order (MCO).
She tells FMT that she’s crushed that she won’t be able to be together with her family this year.
“We usually start by cleaning out the old, unwanted things and negative vibes the day before Ponggal, otherwise known as Bhogi. After cleaning, we would decorate the house with sugarcane and mango leaves.
“My mum would start a fire using wood and we would decorate the clay pot with thiruneeru (holy ash). There are five of us so you can imagine the chaos and excitement on the morning of Ponggal,” laughs Kalppana.
Then, the long-awaited moment arrives when the Ponggal begins to cook.
Kalppana confesses that this is the most exciting time, as they wait for the milk to bubble over and excitedly chant “Ponggalo Ponggal!” when it does.
“This would be followed by prayers and then an amazing vegetarian spread prepared by my mum.
“I will definitely miss this the most because my mum will serve it to us on a banana leaf and we will excitedly dig in as a family.”
For aircraft engineer Kantha Rao, 35, who is of Telugu by ethnicity, Ponggal is more of a thanksgiving event.
“In the morning we’ll prepare an array of dishes including the Ponggal rice and place them on the prayer altar,” says Rao, who adds that his family also decorates the house with mango leaves and sugarcane.
“We’ll do a small prayer for our ancestors and those who have passed on, and once done we’ll have a simple meal.”
The only difference, he says, is that they can’t celebrate with other people. It’s the same conundrum that’s experienced by other families.
But Rao is hopeful for the future and foresees that Malaysians will overcome these dark times.
“I’m sure we will all get to celebrate not only Ponggal, but every other special event with friends and relatives in a big way again someday, but with zero fear of the virus.” - FMT
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