Pongal 2026 in USA: Wed, Jan 14 — Puja Time by City

How the Pongal date is decided

The Sun's entry into Makara (sidereal) — a solar event, so the date is the same worldwide except when it falls near midnight.

Significance

Gratitude to the Sun and Uttarayana: the start of Thai = the Sun's entry into Capricorn, Uttarayana (the day of the gods) — 'Thai pirandhal vazhi pirakkum' (when Thai comes, a way opens): the auspicious season for weddings and new work; the paddy harvest is done — farming families thank the Sun, the rain, the earth and the animals; this is the essence of Makar Sankranti.

Four days: Bhogi — the day of Indra (Bhogi = Indra, god of rain), old and broken things burnt at dawn for a fresh start, the house cleaned and whitewashed; Thai Pongal — the boiled-over Pongal for the Sun; Mattu Pongal — the cattle (helpers in farming) bathed, horns painted, garlanded, jallikattu / manju virattu; Kaanum Pongal — 'kaanum' = to see: visiting relatives, sisters praying for their brothers (kanu pidi), meals by the river.

A women's festival: the kolam at dawn (rice-flour rangoli — food for ants and birds too), tying a fresh turmeric-and-ginger rhizome on the new clay pot, sugarcane, cooking the Pongal — by the woman of the house as its goddess; at Kaanum Pongal's 'kanu pidi' sisters leave coloured rice for the crows and ask for their brothers' long life.

Puja vidhi (brief)

1. Bhogi (day one): at dawn burn the old and broken things of the house (mats, clothes, brooms — not plastic or tyres) in a bonfire in the courtyard (a new beginning — 'Bhogi mandalu'), drums and songs; clean, plaster and whitewash the house, buy new clothes and pots, a mango-leaf toran; in Andhra-Telangana 'Bhogi pallu' (ber, flowers, coins) are showered on children; Indra puja in some homes.
2. Thai Pongal — dawn: bathe before sunrise, new clothes; wash the doorstep and courtyard and draw a large **kolam** (rangoli of rice flour or colour — figures of the Sun, sugarcane, kalash), a ball of cow dung with a yellow pumpkin (parangikkai) flower at its centre; a hearth of bricks in the open (facing the Sun) in the courtyard or on the terrace.
3. The Pongal pot: a new clay (or brass) pot — three stripes of turmeric, sandal and kumkum on it, a fresh turmeric-and-ginger rhizome (with leaves) and mango leaves tied at its neck; beside the pot a pair of sugarcanes, a banana leaf, coconut, banana, a picture of the Sun god (or face the Sun).
4. Cooking the Pongal (after sunrise, before Abhijit ends — timings above): boil milk and water in the pot — the moment the milk **boils over** (auspicious towards the north or east), the whole family calls 'Pongalo Pongal!', conch or drum; then add the new rice (the first harvest), moong dal, jaggery, ghee, cashew-raisins and cardamom for sakkarai (sweet) Pongal; alongside ven (savoury — pepper, cumin, ginger) Pongal.
5. Sun worship: on a banana leaf place the Pongal, sugarcane, banana, coconut and turmeric rhizome and offer them to the Sun — 'Suryaya Namah', the Aditya Hridaya or Sun mantras, camphor aarti; arghya to the Sun; the Pongal goes first to the Sun, then to the household deities, the cow and the crows (kanu), then to the family — a meal on banana leaves.
6. Mattu Pongal (day three): bathe the cows and bulls, paint the horns and cap them with brass, garland and bell, kumkum and turmeric on the forehead, flowers on the neck; feed them Pongal, jaggery, sugarcane and banana, aarti; worship at the cowshed; in villages jallikattu (bull-taming) and manju virattu; feed the pets and birds at home.
7. Kaanum Pongal (day four): visits to family and relatives, picnics by the river or seashore; **kanu pidi** — at dawn the women and sisters of the house place leftover Pongal, coloured rice (turmeric-kumkum), sugarcane and banana on turmeric leaves in the courtyard for the crows and pray for the long life and prosperity of their brothers (brothers give gifts to sisters); blessings of elders, new clothes.
8. Closing: sugarcane chewed and shared, the kolam kept till the next day; the Pongal pot kept for the year's puja; leftover rice for the birds; wedding and new-work muhurats looked at from Uttarayana.

Frequently asked questions

Is Pongal 2026 on the same day in USA and India?

Yes — Wednesday, January 14, 2026.

What is the puja time for Pongal 2026 in New York?

Punya Kaal (from sunrise — Sankranti was at night): 7:18 AM to 4:52 PM (EST). Other cities are in the table above.

Which time zone are these timings in?

Each row is in that city's own local time with daylight saving applied (Eastern Time (EST/EDT) for New York).

How is sakkarai Pongal made?

1 cup new rice + ¼ cup roasted moong dal cooked soft in milk and water; add ¾–1 cup melted and strained jaggery, 3–4 spoons of ghee, cashew and raisins fried in ghee, cardamom; let the milk boil over in the pot first (the omen), then add the rice.

Why is a turmeric-ginger rhizome tied on the pot?

Fresh turmeric (manjal) stands for auspiciousness, purity and the harvest — the rhizome with its leaves is tied at the pot's neck (with a ginger rhizome), along with mango leaves; it turns the pot into a 'kalash'; sugarcane for prosperity, banana for good fortune.

What is the kanu pidi of Kaanum Pongal?

At dawn on the fourth day the women and sisters place leftover Pongal, coloured (turmeric-kumkum) rice, sugarcane and banana on turmeric leaves for the crows — a prayer for the long life and prosperity of their brothers; brothers give gifts to sisters; a day of family outings.

What is the difference between Pongal and Makar Sankranti?

The same solar transit (the Sun's entry into Capricorn) — Thai Pongal in Tamil Nadu (four days, the boiled-over Pongal), Makar Sankranti in the North (khichdi, sesame, holy bath, kites), Lohri in Punjab (the day before), Magh Bihu in Assam; Makar Sankranti has its own page with those customs.

Daily panchang in USA

Read more

Other years