Panguni (பங்குனி)

Panguni (பங்குனி)

Panguni is the last month of the Tamil calendar. This year it is from 14th March – 13th April

Karadayan nombu (காரடையான் நோன்பு)  

Panguni begins with Karadayan nombu which actually is observed on the last day of maasi just before the beginning of Panguni.


This nombu is also called Savitri nombu as it is being observed by the ladies for the welfare of their husbands following the footsteps of Savitri who fought with Yama and brought back her husband Satyavan to life!

Panguni and Thai are two months in the Tamizh calendar where the exact time of beginning of the month and not just the day is followed. For Thai, we usually check the time of the beginning to make the Thai pongal. For Panguni, the nombu is to be observed and the sacred yellow thread tied and the nombu adai offered to the Goddess just before the ending of Maasi and beginning of Panguni.

Usually ladies fast until the puja time and offer nombu adai both the sweet and salt variety along with butter to the Goddess and tie a yellow thread around their necks praying for the welfare and longevity of their husbands.

The prayer uttered is “உருகாத வெண்ணையும் ஓரடையும் நான் தருவேன், ஒரு நாளும் என் கணவன் என்னை பிரியாதிருக்க வேண்டும்"  meaning “I offer you non-melted butter and the adai, please ensure that I never get separated from my husband”.

After the puja, the ladies eat only the adai offerings as prasadam.

This year it was on 13th March late in the night.

Arupathimoovar (அறுபத்திமூவர்)

People of Chennai are quite familiar with the Aruvathimoovar festival which takes place in Mylai Kapaleeswarar Temple.

The ten-day festival which transforms Mylapore completely concludes on Panguni Uthiram day with the celebration of the wedding of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. There is a procession of the 63 prime devotees of Lord Shiva on the eighth day, giving the festival the name of Arupathimoovar.

This year Arupathimoovar festival began on 10 March and concludes on 19 March. Here is the programme list for this year's festival. (kind courtesy: my sister Jayashree)

Panguni Uthiram (பங்குனி உத்திரம்)

The combination of the star Uthiram and full moon day in the month of Panguni is known as Panguni Uthiram.
Panguni Uthiram is a day which at home we call “wedding day of the Gods” as on this day the wedding of Shiva and Parvathi is celebrated as part of Arupathimoovar as mentioned above.

 Also wedding of Lord Muruga to Deivaanai and  Valli  is celebrated on this day.

Wedding of Lord Mahavishnu and Mahalakshmi is also celebrated on this day.

Special pujas take place in Siva, Vishnu and Murugan temples on this day.
This year Panguni Uthiram is on 19th March .

Ugadhi (யுகாதி)

The Telugu New Year’s Day is called Ugadhi. This year Ugadhi is on 4th April

Sri Rama Navami (ஸ்ரீ ராம நவமி)

The combination of Navami thithi and Punarpoosam star is celebrated as Sri Rama Navami, birthday of Lord Rama.

Special pujas are conducted in temples and homes with items like neermoru, panagam and kosumalli (salad) offered to the Lord. As this is the beginning of summer, we can see that the food offered is ideal to quench one’s thirst and refresh him!
This year Sri Rama Navami falls on 12th April

Maasi (மாசி)

Maasi (மாசி)

 

This penultimate month of the Tamizh calendar is my favourite as this is the month I was born on my mother’s birthday!

This year Maasi is from 13 Feb – 14 Mar

Maasi Magam (மாசி மகம்)

The full moon day in the month of Maasi with star Magam is Maasi Magam. This year Maasi Magam is on 18^th February. 

As it is Masi Magam is considered an auspicious day and special poojas are performed in all the temples on this day. Maasi Magam is celebrated as Mahamagam (மகாமகம்) once in 12 years when Jupiter (Guru குரு) transits in Leo (Simha raasi சிம்ம ராசி) in the month of Maasi (when Sun is in Aquarius (kumbha raasi கும்ப ராசி), on the full moon day with Magam star. This is the south Indian equivalent of Kumbh Mela. Maha Magam is celebrated in Kumbakonam where devotees from all over the country assemble to take a bath or sprinkle themselves in the holy tank.

It is believed that the nine sacred rivers of our country viz. Ganga, Yamuna, Sarawathi, Sarayu, Godavari, Mahanadhi, Narmada, Sind, Kaveri come here on this day. Usually our sins are said to be washed away if we bathe in these rivers. On the day of Mahamagam, these rivers come here and cleanse themselves of the accumulated sins of people. Hence it is doubly auspicious to have a dip here as the river waters are said to be part of the tank that day.

As mentioned above this is celebrated once in twelve years and the whole town of Kumbakonam looks festive on this day. Anna dhanam happens in almost every household and the crowd is so huge that the residents prepare themselves to feed the people who come from various parts of the country to have a dip in the tank.

The last Mahamagam was in 2004 and the next is in the year 2016. My mother, born and brought in Kumbakonam and now a resident of Chennai, has had the opportunity to be part of the festival and take a dip during the Mahamagams in 1958, 1980, 1992 and 2004 so far.

Holi

A very colourful festival celebrated in North India, Holi has many legends associated with it.

Holi falls on the full moon day of Maasi    

It is said to be the celebration of victory of good over the evil. Holika, sister of Hiranyakashipu and aunt of Prahlad had the power to walk through raging fires without getting burnt. In one of his trials to kill his son Prahlad, Hiranyakashipu asked Holika to make Prahlad sit on her lap and enter the fire so that Prahlad will be killed. Prahlad was protected by Lord Vishnu and Holika was killed as her boon is supposed to work only if she enters the fire alone.

Another legend is the Kama dhaganam (காம தகனம்) (burning of Manmadha or Kama, the God of Love) Lord Shiva is in penance and Parvathi has taken the form of Himavan’s daughter. The asuras are in supreme power and the Devas need Shiva and Parvathi to beget a son to destroy the asuras. They request Manmadha to use his flower arrows on Lord Shiva. Manmadha does this and the Lord opens his third eye in anger and Manmadha is burnt to ashes. This event is called Kama dhaganam and the day it took place is being celebrated as Holi. Later Lord Shiva married Parvathi and on Manmadhan’s consort, Rathi’s request, Lord Shiva brought Manmadha back to life.

Holi also marks the end of winter season and beginning of spring and we see colourful flora all around us.

Whatever maybe the story behind it, Holi is celebrated on a grand scale in many parts of India with people applying colour on each other and playing with waterfilled guns called pichkaris.

This year Holi is on 20 Feb. Though Maasimagam and Holi are supposed to be on full moon day, due to small calculation difference sometimes these festivals are celebrated on consecutive or different days.

Maha Shivaratri (மகா சிவராத்திரி) 

Every month, the 14^th day of waning moon (krishna paksham கிருஷ்ண பக்ஷம்) is celebrated as Shivaratri. This day in the month of Maasi is celebrated as Maha Shivaratri. Wedding of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati is said to have taken place on this day. The Lord is said to have performed the cosmic dance, Thandavam also on this day. Special abishekams and poojas are done to the Shiva Lingams in the temples all over India on this day. People fast the whole day and be awake in the night praying to the Lord as being awake on this night is said to increase one’s energy levels.

This year Maha Shivaratri is on 3rd March.

Maasi Sevvai

The Tuesdays of Maasi are considered quite auspicious and people follow many vrathams on this day.

Karadayan Nombu

This vratham followed by ladies for the welfare of their husbands is on the time of ending of the month of Maasi and beginning of the month of Panguni. More details on this festival in the Panguni blog.