Pongal — major Tamil Nadu festival. 4-day harvest festival. Around Makar Sankranti. New rice, sun worship, cattle worship, community feast.
Name means: new rice cooked in clay pot with milk-jaggery — "Pongal" = "to overflow/boil over".
✦ 4 Days
1. Bhogi Pongal: discard old. Burn old items-clothes. House cleaning.
2. Surya/Thai Pongal: main day. Sun puja. New rice-milk boiled. "Pongalo Pongal" chanted.
3. Mattu Pongal: cattle worship. Cows-bulls decorated, washed, worshipped. Jallikattu in some places.
4. Kanu/Kannum Pongal: family feast. Birds fed. Sisters pray for brothers.
✦ 2026 Pongal
Bhogi: 13 January. Thai Pongal: 14 January.
Mattu: 15 January. Kanu: 16 January.
Same time as Makar Sankranti.
✦ Pongal Dishes
Sweet (Sakkara) Pongal: rice + moong + jaggery + ghee + cashew + raisins + cardamom.
Savory (Ven) Pongal: rice + moong + black pepper + ghee + cashew.
Medu vada. Sambhar. Coconut chutney.
Semiya payasam.
✦ Cultural Significance
Harvest gratitude.
Thanks to Surya.
Cow-bull — farming partners.
Family reunion.
Discarding old — fresh start.
Kolam (rangoli) at entrance.
📚Sources & References
Content in this article is verified against the following classical and modern authoritative sources. Readers may independently verify against the original sources.
- ▪Surya Siddhanta — classical Sanskrit astronomical text (~5th century CE)
- ▪Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra — foundational text on Vedic astrology by Maharishi Parashara
- ▪Muhurta Chintamani by Ram Daivajna (16th century) — standard reference for muhurat selection
- ▪Astronomical Algorithms by Jean Meeus (Willmann-Bell, 1998) — basis for all astronomical computations on this site
- ▪Lahiri Ayanamsa — standard sidereal reference adopted by the Indian Calendar Reform Committee (1955)
✦ Frequently Asked Questions
Pongal vs Makar Sankranti?▼
Same day (14 Jan). Makar Sankranti: sun entering Capricorn (panchang event). Pongal: Tamil festival. Both together.
Jallikattu legal?▼
Supreme Court banned 2014. Tamil Nadu re-allowed 2017 via special law.
🔗Related Topics
Note: This content is published for educational and cultural reference. For personal religious or astrological decisions, please consult a qualified pandit or jyotishi.