Ponggal in Malaysia: date, customs and how families keep it

Quick answer: In 2027, Thai Ponggal in Malaysia falls on Friday 15 January. The Sun enters Makara at 11:44 PM on Thursday 14 January Malaysian time, after sunset, so the festival moves to Friday. Malaysian Tamil families cook the ponggal pot in the morning sun, visit temples and honour cattle the next day. Ponggal is not a gazetted public holiday in any Malaysian state in 2027, according to the official 2027 list from the Prime Minister's Department.

Ponggal 2027 in Malaysia: key facts

Why is it spelt "Ponggal" in Malaysia?

Malaysian English usually writes the festival as Ponggal, with a double g, and you will see that spelling in Malaysian newspapers, temple notices and greetings. It is the same festival as Pongal in India, Singapore and Sri Lanka. The word means "boiling over", after the pot of rice and milk that is allowed to overflow.

Why is Thai Ponggal on Friday 15 January in Malaysia?

Thai Ponggal falls on Thai 1, the first day of the Tamil solar month of Thai, which begins when the Sun enters sidereal Makara (Capricorn). Panchangs give the festival to the day of that moment if it comes before local sunset, and to the next day if it comes after sunset.

In 2027 Drik Panchang puts the moment at 15:44 UTC on Thursday 14 January. That is 11:44 PM in Kuala Lumpur, after sunset, so Malaysia keeps Thai Ponggal on Friday 15 January.

Malaysian Hindus follow the panchangam (almanac) for this. In January 2026, when people were unsure of the date, the president of the Malaysia Hindu Sangam, the national Hindu body, announced the date from the panchangam and explained that because Thai began at night, the festival belonged to the next morning. The Sangam also gave suggested prayer times for the pot. Watch for its announcement for 2027, and confirm with your local panchang or temple priest.

Is Ponggal a public holiday in Malaysia?

No. Malaysia's public holidays are set at federal and state level. The official 2027 list published by the Cabinet, Constitution and Inter-Governmental Relations Division of the Prime Minister's Department (Jadual Hari Kelepasan Am Persekutuan dan Negeri 2027) has no Ponggal holiday in any state or federal territory. The nearest Hindu holiday is Thaipusam on Friday 22 January 2027, a state holiday in Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. Families who want the day off for Ponggal usually take leave, so check with your employer's human resources team.

Friday 15 January 2027 falls just before a weekend, so many families plan the main gathering for Saturday 16 or Sunday 17 January.

How do Malaysian Tamil families keep Ponggal?

The four days follow the Tamil pattern, adapted to Malaysian homes and working weeks.

Bhogi: cleaning the house

On Bhogi, the day before Thai Ponggal, families clean and decorate the house. In 2016 the then president of the Malaysia Hindu Sangam told The Star that old things were traditionally burned on Bhogi, but that simply throwing them away is enough today. In a flat or terrace house, sort, donate and recycle; never burn rubbish, plastic or rubber.

Thai Ponggal: the pot in the morning sun

This is the main day. Common Malaysian practice, as described by the Malaysia Hindu Sangam to The Star:

1. Decorate the entrance with sugarcane, mango leaves and banana leaves, and draw a kolam (a rice-flour design) at the door.
2. Set up the pot outdoors where possible, facing the rising sun. A new pot is decorated with turmeric leaves, and three sugarcane stalks are often tied together beside it.
3. Boil milk in the pot while the sun is up. The Sangam's advice was to do this in the morning, or at least before sunset if the morning is not possible.
4. When the milk boils over, the family calls "Pongalo Pongal!" Many households traditionally believe the direction of the overflow hints at the year ahead.
5. Add rice, sugar or jaggery, cashews and raisins to make sweet ponggal.
6. Offer it at the home altar and to the Sun, then share it with the family, followed by a vegetarian meal.

If you live in a condominium or apartment, cook on your hob instead. Clay pots are not made for induction or glass-ceramic hobs: use a heavy metal pot or a pressure cooker, and let the milk rise to the rim before you lower the heat. Stay by the stove while the milk heats, and keep children back when it overflows.

Mattu Ponggal: honouring cattle

The day after Thai Ponggal is for cattle. Cows are bathed, decorated and fed ponggal in thanks for their work. A few Malaysian temples still keep their own cows: in January 2025 Bernama reported a Kuala Lumpur temple in Sentul that has marked Mattu Ponggal for more than fifty years, feeding plain ponggal and fruit to its cows and calves.

Kaanum Ponggal: visits

The fourth day is for visiting relatives and friends and for outings together.

Where do Malaysians celebrate Ponggal?

Ponggal is kept by Tamil families across Malaysia, at home and at temples. The Star reported Ponggal prayers and mass ponggal cooking at temples in Kuala Lumpur, Perlis, Perak, Melaka, Penang and Johor in January 2026, including at temples in the Chitty community's village in Melaka. In Penang the state's Hindu endowments board held a state-level celebration attended by the Chief Minister, and the Malaysia Hindu Sangam's Penang council has held events at many sites around the state.

Bernama reported in 2025 that until the 1980s Ponggal was celebrated widely on the plantation estates, much as in Tamil Nadu, when estate workers grew vegetables and kept cows. Today the focus has moved to temples and community events, and some Tamil families in Sekinchan, Selangor, still farm paddy.

Your nearest temple will have its own arrangements and prayer times. Ask at the temple office, or watch its notices in early January.

Thalai Ponggal for newlyweds

Thalai Ponggal ("first Ponggal") is a newly married couple's first Ponggal together. Families keep it in different ways. In January 2026 theSun reported a Thalai Ponggal ceremony for newly married couples organised by a Penang Hindu association at a temple in Air Itam, where a priest led the rites, the brides' families brought gifts and a feast welcomed the new members of the family.

Where can I buy Ponggal ingredients in Malaysia?

Indian shops in areas such as Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur, and in Indian neighbourhoods across the country, sell sugarcane, turmeric plants, new pots, banana leaves, jaggery and flowers in the days before Ponggal. Rice, moong dal, cardamom, cashews, raisins and ghee are available all year.

Cashews, milk and ghee are common allergens. Label shared plates at school or office events. For recipes, start with sakkarai pongal (sweet ponggal), ven pongal (savoury ponggal) and our guide to which pongal is cooked when.

How can children take part?

• Draw the kolam at the door together.
• Help tie the sugarcane and stir the pot, and call "Pongalo Pongal!" when it overflows.
• Visit a temple that keeps cows on Mattu Ponggal, with an adult, and let them offer fruit. Keep a safe distance from the animals and follow the temple staff.
• Visit grandparents and relatives on Kaanum Ponggal.

Frequently asked questions

When is Ponggal 2027 in Malaysia?

Thai Ponggal is on Friday 15 January 2027 in Malaysia. The Sun enters Makara at 11:44 PM on Thursday 14 January Malaysian time, after sunset, so the festival is kept the next day. Confirm with your local panchang or temple priest.

Is Ponggal a public holiday in Malaysia in 2027?

No. The Prime Minister's Department's official 2027 federal and state holiday list has no Ponggal holiday anywhere in Malaysia. Thaipusam, on Friday 22 January 2027, is a state holiday in Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

What time should I cook the ponggal pot?

The Malaysia Hindu Sangam advises cooking while the sun is up, ideally in the morning, and in 2026 it published suggested times. Watch for its 2027 announcement, and ask your temple priest.

Why "Ponggal" and not "Pongal"?

Both spellings name the same festival. Ponggal is the usual Malaysian spelling; Pongal is more common in India and Singapore.

What do Malaysians do on Mattu Ponggal?

Cattle are bathed, decorated and fed ponggal in thanks for their work. Families without cattle can offer ponggal and fruit at a temple, and a few Malaysian temples still keep cows.

Can I cook ponggal in a condominium?

Yes. Cook on your hob in a heavy metal pot or pressure cooker rather than a clay pot, and let the milk overflow gently in the pot. Do not light open fires on balconies or in corridors.

Is Ponggal the Tamil New Year?

No. The Tamil New Year, Puthandu, falls in Chithirai in April. Some hold that the Tamil year begins on Thai 1, the day of Thai Ponggal, but that view is debated.

Sources

• Drik Panchang, Makar Sankranti moment 15:44 UTC on Thursday 14 January 2027, via the HinduTone date data in Makar Sankranti 2027
• Malaysia Hindu Sangam: https://www.malaysiahindusangam.org/ (accessed 12 November 2026)
• The Star, "Ponggal will be celebrated on Jan 15 this year, says Malaysia Hindu Sangam" (8 January 2026): https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2026/01/08/ponggal-will-be-celebrated-on-jan-15-this-year-says-malaysia-hindu-sangam (accessed 12 November 2026)
• The Star, "Celebrating abundance: the harvest festival of Ponggal has many interesting and unique observances" (15 January 2016): https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2016/01/15/celebrating-abundance-the-harvest-festival-of-ponggal-has-many-interesting-and-unique-observances (accessed 12 November 2026)
• The Star, "Tamil community nationwide marks Ponggal, honouring tradition, family ties" (15 January 2026): https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2026/01/15/tamil-community-nationwide-marks-ponggal-honouring-tradition-family-ties (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Bernama, Ponggal feature (11 January 2025): https://www.bernama.com/en/general/news.php?id=2381367 (accessed 12 November 2026)
• theSun, "Newly married Hindu couples celebrate Thalai Pongal" (January 2026): https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/newly-married-hindu-couples-celebrate-thalai-pongal (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Varnam Malaysia / Bernama, "Traditional Mattu Pongal celebration lives on at Sri Thandayuthapani Temple in Sentul" (16 January 2025): https://varnam.my/104032/traditional-mattu-pongal-celebration-lives-on-at-sri-thandayuthapani-temple-in-sentul/ (accessed 12 November 2026)

• Bahagian Kabinet, Perlembagaan dan Perhubungan Antara Kerajaan, Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Jadual Hari Kelepasan Am Persekutuan dan Negeri 2027: https://www.kabinet.gov.my/storage/2026/08/HKA_2027.pdf (accessed 12 November 2026); also reproduced in the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers circular GI/15/2026 (27 August 2026)

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.

Related guides

• Pongal: the four-day Tamil harvest festival
• Thai Pongal
• Mattu Pongal
• Makar Sankranti and Pongal dates abroad
• Thai Pongal puja at home
• Makar Sankranti 2027: date and Punya Kaal timings
• Paal pongal recipe
• Pongal kootu recipe