Bhogi: Meaning, the Bhogi Fire, Bhogi Pallu and Goda Kalyanam

Quick answer: Bhogi is the first day of Pongal and of the Telugu Sankranti festival. In 2027 it falls on Thursday 14 January in India per the panchang. Families rise before dawn, light a small fire of old things, clean and decorate the house, and in Telugu homes shower small children with Bhogi pallu in the evening.

When is Bhogi in 2027?

In India, Bhogi is on Thursday 14 January 2027. The Sun enters Makara at 9:14 PM IST that evening, after sunset, so Thursday is the last day of Margazhi (Dhanurmasam). Makar Sankranti and Thai Pongal follow on Friday 15 January in India per the panchang; some government lists mark 14 January.

Bhogi is always the day before your local Thai Pongal. In North America and the UK the Sankranti moment falls in daytime on Thursday 14 January, so Drik Panchang gives Bhogi on Wednesday 13 January 2027 for New York and London. For other cities, see our Makar Sankranti and Pongal dates abroad and confirm with your local panchang or temple priest.

What does Bhogi mean?

Bhogi is the day for clearing out the old before the harvest festival. Houses are cleaned, worn-out things are thrown out, and the doorway is decorated with a kolam (Tamil) or muggu (Telugu), patterns drawn in rice flour or chalk powder. The next morning the first Pongal of the new harvest is cooked.

Why is Bhogi celebrated? Two explanations

Families and writers give more than one explanation, and they come from different traditions.

• Indra. Many accounts in Tamil Nadu connect Bhogi with Indra, the king of the gods and the god of clouds and rain, honoured as the giver of rain. A 2018 feature in DT Next records this association.
• Krishna and Govardhana. The same feature retells the story of Krishna lifting Govardhana hill to shelter the cowherds and their cattle from Indra's storm. In that telling, Indra is humbled, asks forgiveness, and Krishna allows a festival in Indra's honour to continue, which is linked with Bhogi. The Govardhana story itself is told in the Bhagavata Purana; its link with Bhogi is a regional retelling, not part of the Purana's text.

Many families simply see it as a renewal day. Follow what your own family and temple teach.

What does a household do on Bhogi, from morning to evening?

1. Before dawn. The family rises early. Where custom and local rules allow, a small fire of old wooden things and other solid fuel is lit outside the house or in the street. In Telugu homes this fire is called Bhogi mantalu; Drik Panchang describes people getting up before dawn to light it with wood and other solid fuels.
2. Bath and lamp. Everyone bathes and lights the lamp at the family shrine.
3. Clearing out. Usable clothes and utensils are given away rather than burnt; the rest is disposed of properly.
4. Kolam or muggu. The entrance is washed and a large kolam or muggu is drawn.
5. Getting ready. The new pot, rice, jaggery, sugarcane and turmeric plants are bought for Thai Pongal.
6. Temple. Vaishnava families attend Goda Kalyanam (see below).
7. Evening. Telugu families hold the Bhogi pallu ceremony for small children. Some Telugu homes also set up a bommala koluvu, a display of dolls on steps, which Drik Panchang lists among the Bhogi customs.

The Bhogi fire: how to keep it safely

The Bhogi fire is meant to burn old wooden things and dry leaves. It was never meant for plastic. Before Bhogi 2025 the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) again asked people not to burn plastics, tyres, tubes and similar items, saying the dense black smoke pollutes the air and affects flight operations, and it planned a 24-hour air-quality survey at 15 locations around the festival (DT Next, 9 January 2025).

Keep it safe and clean:

• Never burn plastic, tyres, rubber, synthetic clothes, painted or treated wood, foam or electronic waste.
• Keep it small. A fire the size of a bucket carries the meaning as well as a large one.
• Check the day's air-quality advice in your city and keep elders, small children and anyone with asthma indoors if smoke is heavy.
• Keep water or sand nearby, keep children back, tie up saree ends and dupattas, and stay until the fire is out.
• Stay clear of vehicles, wires, dry grass and doorways, and set off no firecrackers nearby.

Bhogi at home: apartments and alternatives

If you live in a flat, do not light an open flame on a balcony, terrace or in a stairwell. Many residents' associations and housing rules forbid it, and smoke drifts into neighbours' homes. You can keep the meaning of Bhogi without a fire:

• Clear out the house and give usable things to charity; recycle the rest.
• Light a ghee or oil lamp at the shrine as the symbolic fire, never unattended.
• Join a supervised community fire if your temple or association holds one.

Bhogi abroad: fire bans, permits and smoke alarms

In the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia, open fires in yards and streets are often restricted by city bylaws, fire-service rules, rental agreements or seasonal bans, and some places require a permit. Check your city's or fire department's rules before lighting anything outdoors. Indoors, keep the lamp on a metal plate away from curtains, and do not disable smoke alarms. Most families abroad keep Bhogi as a cleaning day with a lamp. Bhogi abroad usually falls on a working day, so temples tend to hold the main Pongal gathering on the weekend; follow your temple's announcement.

Bhogi pallu: the children's part

Bhogi pallu is a Telugu custom held on Bhogi evening for young children. Drik Panchang describes children aged about three to six being showered with regi pallu, the small Indian jujube fruit (ber), and says the ritual is traditionally believed to protect children from the evil eye and bless them with long life and plenty.

What is used

Regi pallu is usually mixed with flower petals and coins; other additions differ from family to family. Elders, usually the women of the family and neighbours, take handfuls and gently pour them over the child's head. The child usually wears new clothes, and relatives and neighbours gather for the evening.

Safety with small children

• Remove coins from the mix for babies and toddlers, or count them back afterwards. Coins and jujube seeds are choking hazards.
• Pour gently from just above the head, never from a height, and keep the fruit away from the eyes.
• Pick up every fruit and coin from the floor afterwards so crawling children cannot swallow them.

Some Telugu families also hold Ariselu Adugulu on the day for a child who is learning to walk, letting the child step on ariselu sweets laid on the floor (Drik Panchang). For the sweet itself, see our ariselu and adirasam recipe.

Goda Kalyanam: Andal's wedding at the close of Dhanurmasam

Bhogi is the last day of Dhanurmasam, the month in which Vaishnava homes sing one verse of Andal's Tiruppavai each dawn. Andal, or Goda Devi, is the woman poet-saint among the Alvars; tradition holds that she was united with Lord Ranganatha at Srirangam.

Many Vishnu temples, especially in the Telugu states, close the month with Goda Kalyanam, her divine wedding. Deccan Chronicle reported Goda Kalyanam at Vishnu temples in Hyderabad on 13 January 2025, the Bhogi day that year, marking the end of the Dhanurmasam festivities. Some temples hold it on a nearby day by their own calendar.

We do not print the Tiruppavai verses here. Use your temple's or your sampradaya's edition. For the month's calendar and the meaning of each pasuram, read our Dhanurmasam and Tiruppavai schedule, and for the 27th-day feast of milk rice, our Koodaravalli 2027 guide. Check your temple's announcement for the time of Goda Kalyanam in 2027.

How is Bhogi different in Tamil and Telugu homes?

Customs differ by district, community and family; follow your own.

Frequently asked questions

Is Bhogi a public holiday?

The Tamil Nadu 2027 holiday list, as reported, does not include Bhogi; the state holidays begin with Pongal on Friday 15 January. The 2027 lists for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana had not been published when we checked on 12 November 2026.

What should not be burnt in the Bhogi fire?

Plastic, tyres, tubes, rubber, synthetic cloth, foam, painted or treated wood and electronic waste. The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board asks people not to burn these on Bhogi because of air pollution and health risks.

Can I keep Bhogi without a fire?

Yes. Clear out the house, give away usable things and light a lamp at the shrine as the symbolic fire, as most families in apartments and abroad do.

What fruit is used for Bhogi pallu?

Regi pallu, the small Indian jujube or ber fruit. Families often mix it with flower petals and coins. Remove coins and seeds for babies and toddlers.

Who is worshipped on Bhogi?

Accounts differ. Many link Bhogi with Indra, the god of rain, and some with the story of Krishna and Govardhana. In Vaishnava homes the day is also Goda Kalyanam, the wedding of Andal and Lord Ranganatha.

Is Bhogi the same as Lohri?

No. Both have a fire on the eve of Makar Sankranti, but Lohri is a Punjabi folk festival kept by Hindus and Sikhs, with its own songs and foods.

Sources

• Drik Panchang, Bhogi Pandigai 2027 date (Chennai, New York, London): https://www.drikpanchang.com/festivals/pongal/bhogi-pandigai-date-time.html?geoname-id=1264527&year=2027 (accessed 12 November 2026)
• DT Next, "Avoid burning plastic, tyres on Bhogi: TNPCB requests residents", 9 January 2025: https://www.dtnext.in/amp/story/news/chennai/avoid-burning-plastic-tyres-on-bhogi-tnpcb-requests-residents-818656 (accessed 12 November 2026)
• DT Next, "Legends of the festival", 13 January 2018: https://www.dtnext.in/news/tamilnadu/legends-of-the-festival (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Deccan Chronicle, "Goda Kalyanam performed at Vishnu avatar temples of city", 13 January 2025: https://deccanchronicle.com/southern-states/telangana/goda-kalyanam-performed-at-vishnu-avatar-temples-of-city-1853997 (accessed 12 November 2026)
• HinduTone date file for Makar Sankranti 2027 (Drik Panchang ingress 9:14 PM IST, 14 January 2027)

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.

Related guides

• Pongal: the four days, dates and customs
• Makar Sankranti 2027: date and Punya Kaal city-wise
• Thai Pongal: the main day of Pongal
• Sankranti in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
• Dhanurmasam and the Tiruppavai schedule
• Makar Sankranti and Pongal dates abroad