Chennai: People across Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh celebrated Bhogi Pongal by lighting a bonfire with old material and useless household articles as a mark of the beginning of the harvest season. On the occasion of Bhogi, the Tamil Nadu government requested the public to not burn plastics and other non-eco-friendly items in the bonfire.
However, still some parts of Tamil Nadu especially Chennai was surrounded by smoke and fog due to the burning of articles.
Spiritually, the Bhogi festival is celebrated in honour of Lord Indira, who is the rain god, seeking her blessings to bring good rains and help the farmers with their harvest. The farmers also pray for their wealth and prosperity.
However, the Bhogi festival is also celebrated as a mark of the end of the winter season and as a welcome to the beginning of the harvest season. Bhogi also marks the first day of the four-day Pongal celebrated in Tamil Nadu. In the four-day festivity, the people also thank the Sun god and other forces of nature during this period.
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The four-day Pongal festivities include Bhogi Pongal (where the old articles are burned down to mark the end of winter), Thai Pongal (where the sun god is worshipped for prosperity by making Pongal), Mattu Pongal (where farmers thank the cattle especially cows for helping them with farming) and the last day Kannum Pongal (where people set out on a trip or watch Jallikattu for recreation). Meanwhile, the Pongal festival has its roots in the Sangam era in the 6th Century BC and has been reportedly celebrated from the early times.