This is a harvest festival - the Tamil equivalent of Thanksgiving. It is held to honor the Sun, for a bountiful harvest.
Families gather to rejoice and share their joy and their harvests with others.
There is much excitement and preparation. New clothes are made or bought. The homes and yards are cleaned days ahead. On the day of Pongal, early in the morning, everyone bathes and wears new clothes. A kolam can be a plain one or can be artistically drawn with symbols of cosmic interest.