🍚 Pongal (Thai Pongal) 2027
The four-day Tamil harvest and new-year festival — Bhogi (burning the old), Thai Pongal (new rice, jaggery and milk boiled over for the Sun — 'Pongalo Pongal!'), Mattu Pongal (cattle), Kaanum Pongal (family gatherings); the southern form of Makar Sankranti — kolam, sugarcane, fresh turmeric; all four days above.
- Bhogi Pongal — bonfire of old things, house cleaning — Wednesday, 13 January 2027
- Thai Pongal (Surya Pongal) — main day — Thursday, 14 January 2027
- Mattu Pongal — worship of cattle — Friday, 15 January 2027
- Kaanum Pongal — outings, prayers for brothers — Saturday, 16 January 2027
**Pongal** is the greatest festival of Tamil Nadu (and of Sri Lanka, Puducherry and the Tamil diaspora) — the first day of the Tamil solar month of **Thai**, when the Sun enters Capricorn (Makar Sankranti / Uttarayana). Thanks are given to the Sun with the rice, sugarcane, turmeric and cow's milk of the new harvest: milk is boiled over in a new clay pot ('pongal' = to boil over), new rice and jaggery are cooked in it and offered to the Sun — with the cry 'Pongalo Pongal!'. It is a four-day festival: **Bhogi** (bonfire of old things, house cleaning), **Thai Pongal** (the main day — Sun worship), **Mattu Pongal** (worship of cattle, jallikattu) and **Kaanum Pongal** (family gatherings, sisters' prayers for brothers).
The Makar Sankranti of the North, Lohri of Punjab, Magh Bihu of Assam and the Sankranti of Karnataka-Andhra are all forms of the same solar transit; Pongal is a festival of the women of the house — the kolam at dawn, new pots, a fresh turmeric rhizome tied on the pot, sugarcane, the Pongal dishes. Above are the dates of all four days (solar — around 14/15 January every year); below the vidhi, samagri, katha, dishes, regional customs and FAQs.
Significance — why this vrat
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.
Boiling over = prosperity: milk boiling over towards the north is auspicious (Uttarayana) — a symbol of wealth, grain and happiness overflowing in the home; the family calls 'Pongalo Pongal!' together; Thiruvalluvar Day (Thai 2) and Kaanum are part of the same celebration.
Puja vidhi (step by step)
The household vidhi of the four days of Pongal — Bhogi (cleaning and bonfire), Thai Pongal (kolam at dawn, cooking the Pongal after sunrise — sunrise/Abhijit above), Mattu Pongal (cattle), Kaanum (gatherings).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Puja samagri checklist
A new clay pot, a fresh turmeric-ginger rhizome, new rice and jaggery, sugarcane, kolam — the Pongal list (all four days).
- Pongal pot: a new clay pot (pongal panai) or brass, hearth bricks or a stove (in the open), firewood or dung cakes; turmeric, sandal and kumkum (stripes on the pot)
- A fresh turmeric rhizome (with leaves) and a ginger rhizome — to tie at the pot's neck, mango leaves, raw thread; a pair of sugarcanes, banana leaves, coconut, bananas
- Pongal ingredients: new rice (the fresh paddy harvest — pongal arisi), moong dal, jaggery (pongal vellam), cow's milk, ghee, cashew-raisins, cardamom, edible camphor (some homes); for ven Pongal pepper, cumin, ginger, curry leaves
- Kolam: rice flour or white powder, coloured powders, a dung ball with a yellow pumpkin flower (centre), marigold; doorway toran (mango leaves)
- Sun worship: a picture of the Sun or facing east, a lota for arghya, kumkum, turmeric, sandal, flowers, incense, camphor, aarti plate, bell, conch; the Aditya Hridaya booklet
- Mattu Pongal: paint for the horns, brass horn-caps, garlands, bells, flowers, Pongal, jaggery, sugarcane, banana, kumkum-turmeric for the cattle; a gift to a gaushala
- Kaanum / kanu pidi: turmeric leaves, coloured rice (turmeric-kumkum), leftover Pongal, sugarcane, banana — for the crows; gifts between brothers and sisters; new clothes
- Dishes: sakkarai Pongal, ven Pongal, vadai, payasam, avial or sambar, murukku, appam; sugarcane, banana, sesame-jaggery (ellu-vellam)
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Open panchang →Vrat katha (the story)
The katha of Pongal (Shiva, Nandi and Basava): Shiva sent Nandi to earth — 'tell the people to eat once a month and take an oil bath every day'; Nandi said it the wrong way round — 'eat every day, bathe once a month'. Shiva was angry — 'then you yourself shall help the people grow all that food' — and Nandi as the bull began to plough the fields on earth; in gratitude for that the cattle are worshipped on Mattu Pongal and the new harvest celebrated on Thai Pongal.
Govardhan and Indra (Bhogi): Bhogi is Indra's day — Krishna humbled Indra's pride through the Govardhan puja and taught the rain god that gratitude belongs to those who farm; hence on Bhogi, along with Indra puja, the bonfire of old things — giving up ego and the old, welcoming the new harvest.
Kaanum and kanu pidi: folk belief holds the crow to be the messenger of ancestors or of Yama; sisters give coloured rice to the crows and ask for their brothers' protection ('kaakkai vadai' — where the crow eats, there the brother prospers); in one tale a sister's devotion made a crow save her brother from danger — since then, kanu pidi.
Sakkarai Pongal, ven Pongal, vadai and payasam, sugarcane and sesame-jaggery; the Sun's offering on a banana leaf
The offering of Pongal is Pongal itself — the boiled-over sweet (sakkarai) Pongal of new rice, moong, jaggery and ghee for the Sun, with ven (savoury) Pongal, vadai, payasam, sugarcane, banana and coconut; the whole family eats on banana leaves; on Mattu Pongal the cattle get Pongal, jaggery and sugarcane; on Kaanum the crows get coloured rice.
- Sakkarai Pongal: new rice + roasted moong dal in milk and water, jaggery, ghee, cashew-raisins, cardamom — boiled over in the pot; the Sun's main offering
- Ven Pongal: rice, moong, ghee, black pepper, cumin, ginger, cashew, curry leaves — savoury; with sambar and gotsu (brinjal or tamarind)
- The plate (banana leaf): both Pongals, medu vadai, payasam (vermicelli or moong), avial, sambar and rasam, appalam, banana, sugarcane, sesame-jaggery (ellu-vellam — Sankranti), panagam (jaggery water)
- Bhogi: dal-rice or Pongal after the bonfire, Bhogi pallu (ber) showered on children; Mattu Pongal: Pongal, jaggery, sugarcane and banana for the cattle; Kaanum: picnic food (kootu, vadai, curd rice), coloured rice for the crows
- Avoided: meat on Pongal day (most homes — though non-vegetarian food on Kaanum in some communities), haste in cooking the Pongal (the boiling over must be watched), forgetting the turmeric rhizome on the pot
Regional customs
The Pongal of Tamil Nadu, the Sankranti (Bhogi-Panduga) of Andhra-Telangana, the ellu-bella of Karnataka, the Makaravilakku of Kerala, the khichdi and sesame of the North — one Sun, many customs.
A custom, tale, song or dish heard from your grandmother — 2-4 lines; after reading we add it on this page with your region's name (the phone is never shown — only to ask you back).
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✅ Do
- Cleaning and a bonfire of old (natural) things on Bhogi; on Thai Pongal the kolam at dawn, a new pot, the turmeric-ginger rhizome, the Pongal in the open after sunrise — 'Pongalo Pongal!' the moment it boils over
- The first Pongal to the Sun (on a banana leaf with sugarcane, banana, coconut), then to the deities, the cow, the crows and the family; the Aditya Hridaya or Sun mantras
- On Mattu Pongal bathe, adorn and feed the cattle and pets, give to a gaushala; on Kaanum the sisters' kanu pidi, family gatherings, blessings of elders
- Pongal from the new harvest's rice, jaggery and sugarcane where possible; share sesame-jaggery, speak sweetly; muhurats for new work and weddings from Uttarayana
- North Indian homes in Tamil Nadu / Tamil families in the North — both customs (khichdi + Pongal) together; explain the meaning to the children (thanks to the Sun, the farmer and the animals)
❌ Don't
- Burning plastic, tyres or rubber in the Bhogi bonfire (pollution — only wood, mats, cloth, dung); keep children and the elderly away from the smoke
- Cooking the Pongal without watching the milk boil over, or quarrelling and inauspicious words while cooking; forgetting the turmeric rhizome on the pot and the kolam
- Cruelty to animals in jallikattu or cattle games, harming the cattle with chemical colours on Mattu Pongal (use natural colours)
- Meat or alcohol on the main day (Thai Pongal) by tradition; throwing away Pongal prasad — give it to birds and cows
- Assuming Thai Pongal is always 14 January — the date shifts between 14/15 (sometimes 13/16) with the solar transit; see the date above
Frequently asked questions
When is Pongal in 2027 — all four days?
All four days above: Bhogi (the day before Thai Pongal), Thai Pongal (Makar Sankranti — the Sun's entry into Capricorn, around 14/15 January), Mattu Pongal (the next day), Kaanum Pongal (the day after); the date changes every year by solar calculation.
What time and direction for cooking the Pongal?
After sunrise and before midday (Abhijit) — timings above; in the open facing east, before the Sun; milk boiling over towards the north or east is auspicious (Uttarayana); do not cook during Rahu Kaal (above).
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.
How to celebrate Pongal in a North Indian home?
On the same day (Makar Sankranti) a kolam or rangoli in the morning, milk boiled over in a new pot and a Pongal of rice, moong and jaggery offered to the Sun (on a banana leaf with sugarcane and banana), 'Pongalo Pongal!'; alongside your own khichdi and sesame-jaggery; cow service the next day, then family gatherings — the spirit is the same: thanks to the Sun, the farmer and the animals.
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⚠️ This description follows Tamil and South Indian traditional practice and folk belief; the custom of your own family and region comes first. Dates are by the solar transit (Delhi IST) — in the Tamil panchangam the first day of Thai may shift by a day depending on the time of transit; observe safety and the law in bonfires and cattle sports.
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