On this day the cattle are decorated with paint, flowers and bells, are allowed to roam free, and are fed with sweet rice and sugar cane. The third day, Mattu Pongal, is a day for honouring cattle for the crucial role they play in the harvest season. Offerings of the Pongal dish and sugarcane are then typically made in the household prayer room before being distributed to the family. As the milk boils freely over the pot, family members rejoice by calling out: “Pongalo Pongal,” as the act symbolises prosperity, good fortune, and a good harvest in the year ahead. On this day, colourful decorative floor patterns called kolam or Rangoli are drawn at the entrance of homes and temples, and each household cooks the Pongal dish, which is a pot of fresh rice with milk, cardamom, and sugar at dawn in tribute to Surya, the Sun God. The second day, Surya Pongal, falls on the first day of the Tamil month Thai, and is when the main ritual of preparing the Pongal dish is observed.
Additionally, prayers are offered to Indra, a deity associated with the sky, lightning, thunder, and rains. The four-day festival starts with Bhogi Pongal, and the day is observed by tidying up the home and throwing away old clothes and unwanted belongings, as a symbol of new beginnings.
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