Pongal
பொங்கல்
POHN-gul
Pongal (பொங்கல்) is a Tamil-origin word used in Indian English, meaning tamil four-day harvest festival, also the name of the sweet rice dish cooked for it. In crosswords it is the 6-letter answer PONGAL (6).
Meaning & usage
Pongal marks the end of the Tamil month Margazhi and the start of Thai, around mid-January, and runs across four days: Bhogi, Thai Pongal, Mattu Pongal (honouring cattle) and Kaanum Pongal. The festival is named after the dish that defines it — newly harvested rice boiled in milk with jaggery, allowed to bubble over as a sign of plenty. The shout "Pongalo Pongal!" goes up the moment the pot froths over.
In a sentence
The pot bubbled over and the whole courtyard shouted Pongalo Pongal.
Common spelling variants
- Pongol
Pongal is the English spelling used in MG Mini puzzles.
Pongal as a crossword answer
Pongal is a 6-letter answer. A typical clue:
“Tamil four-day harvest festival, also the name of the sweet rice dish cooked for it” (6)
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