In American literature, the term realism encompasses the period of time from the Civil War to the turn of the century during which William Dean Howells, Rebecca Harding Davis, Henry James, Mark Twain, and others wrote fiction devoted to accurate representation and an exploration of American lives in various contexts.
Pongal is the first day of Uttarayana and coincides with the beginning of the Tamil month of Thai. Pongal is one of the most popular harvest festivals of southern India, mainly Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
There are many Hindu festivals celebrated throughout the country with equal passion and devotion. The Hindu festivals in India involve lots of customs and rituals. There is a distinctive festival for every event of one's life and for season. Some of the Hindu festivals are region and community specific depending on the importance a certain God enjoys like Onam is celebrated only by Keralites.