PONGAL

important three-day Hindu festival in South India. It is celebrated on the winter solstice, when, according to the traditional Hindu system of reckoning, the Sun, having reached its southernmost point, turns to the north again and reenters the sign of makara (Capricorn), usually on January 14. The month preceding Pongal is considered to be made up entirely of inauspicious days and the month following Pongal of auspicious days. The name of the festival comes from the Tamil word meaning "to boil"; rice is boiled in milk and offered first to the gods, then to the cows, and then to family members. During the exchange of visits that mark all Hindu festivals, the anticipated greeting, "Has the rice boiled?" is answered, "It has boiled." Cows are especially venerated during Pongal: their horns are painted, and they are garlanded with flowers and fruit, taken in procession, and allowed to graze freely.