Mattu Pongal: The Day for Cattle, and Kanu Pidi

Quick answer: Mattu Pongal is the day after Thai Pongal, when Tamil families thank their cattle. In 2027 it falls on Saturday 16 January in India, per the panchang. Cows and bulls are bathed, their horns painted, garlanded and fed pongal. In many Tamil homes, women also keep Kanu Pidi on this day, feeding birds and praying for their brothers.

What is Mattu Pongal?

Mattu Pongal is the third day of the Pongal festival. Thai Pongal, the day before, thanks the Sun for the harvest. Mattu Pongal thanks the animals that made it possible: the bulls that ploughed and pulled the carts, and the cows that gave milk.

In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the same day is kept as Kanuma, with very similar cattle worship. Drik Panchang notes that the rituals of Kanuma are similar to those of Mattu Pongal. Our Kanuma and Mukkanuma guide covers the Telugu customs.

When is Mattu Pongal in 2027?

In India, Mattu Pongal is on Saturday 16 January 2027, per Drik Panchang. It always follows Thai Pongal, which is on Friday 15 January 2027 in India.

Outside India, Thai Pongal can fall a day earlier, for example in North America and the UK, because the Sun enters Makara at a different local hour. Keep Mattu Pongal on the day after Thai Pongal in your city's panchang; community programmes abroad are often on the nearest weekend. Confirm with your local panchang or temple priest.

What does a household do on Mattu Pongal?

Customs differ by village and family. A typical farming household's day:

1. Morning bath for the cattle. Cows, bulls and calves are washed at a pond, canal or well, and brushed.
2. Painting the horns. Horns are painted in bright colours; some families add brass caps or bells.
3. Decoration. Fresh ropes, flower garlands, and turmeric and kumkum (red powder) on the forehead.
4. Pongal for the cattle. Pongal is cooked, often in the courtyard or near the shed, with the call "Pongalo Pongal!" as it boils over. A portion goes to the cattle with bananas, sugarcane and grass.
5. Worship and parade. The family offers a lamp and a simple puja to the animals. In many villages the cattle are then paraded through the streets.

For the go-puja steps, see our Mattu Pongal and Kanuma go-puja guide; for prayers, use your family's prayer book or ask your priest.

The folk legend of Nandi

In a popular folk legend, Shiva sends his bull Nandi (Basava in some tellings) to tell people to have an oil bath daily and eat once a month. Nandi says the opposite, so Shiva sends him to earth to help people plough and grow the extra food. This folk legend is retold around Pongal (for example by the Chennai newspaper DT Next); we know of no scripture that contains it, and tellings vary.

What is Kanu Pidi?

Kanu Pidi is a women's observance kept on the day after Thai Pongal, the same day as Mattu Pongal. "Pidi" means a handful. Women and girls of the house set out small handfuls of rice for birds, especially crows, and pray for the welfare of their brothers and the family.

What is usually done:

• Leftover sweet pongal, rice coloured yellow with turmeric, and curd rice are common; families add colours of their own.
• Small portions are set on leaves, often turmeric leaves, though families use other leaves too.
• They are placed on a terrace, an open courtyard or, in temple towns, the steps of a temple tank, for birds to feed.
• Women pray for their brothers' wellbeing and for the family to stay together. Elder women often bless the younger ones.

Who keeps it? Many Tamil families, including Brahmin households and families from the Tirunelveli region, each with their own form. A Sri Vaishnava account describes it being performed symbolically for the Goddess at temples in Kumbakonam. Not every Tamil household keeps it; many farming families know the day simply as Mattu Pongal.

Where traditions differ. The leaves, the colours of the rice and the words said vary by family. Follow your family's way, and ask an elder if unsure.

Kanu Pidi is not Kaanum Pongal

The names sound alike. Kanu Pidi is the women's bird-feeding observance on the day after Thai Pongal. Kaanum Pongal is the fourth day, a day for visiting relatives and going on outings.

Is Jallikattu held on Mattu Pongal?

Jallikattu is a Tamil bull-taming event in which young men try to hold on to a running bull's hump. Many are held on or around Mattu Pongal, though dates vary by village. Legally, Tamil Nadu passed the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act, 2017, which permits Jallikattu subject to rules made by the state government. On 18 May 2023, a five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court of India upheld that Act and its rules (Animal Welfare Board of India v. Union of India). The court also directed that the law be strictly enforced and that District Magistrates are responsible for compliance. Animal welfare groups continue to raise concerns about cruelty and injuries. More in our Pongal guide.

How to handle cattle safely and kindly

• Use safe colours. Choose non-toxic paint for horns, and keep colour away from the eyes, nose and mouth.
• Feed in moderation. Offer small portions of sweet food, with fresh water and their usual fodder; ask a local vet what is safe.
• No firecrackers near animals. Loud noise frightens cattle and can make them bolt.
• Keep children at a safe distance. Let an adult who knows the animal lead it. Never approach a bull from behind.
• Do not let crowds tease or chase the animals, and rest them between village rounds.

What if your family has no cattle?

Most city and overseas families have no cattle. You can still keep the spirit of the day:

• Visit a goshala (cow shelter) or a temple that keeps cows, and offer fruit, fodder or help where the staff allow it.
• Donate to a registered animal welfare organisation or shelter. Check how it uses donations.
• Feed birds on a terrace or balcony, in the spirit of Kanu Pidi, where your building rules allow it.
• Keep a small puja at home with a picture of a cow, or of Krishna as the cowherd.

These are acts of gratitude; no tradition promises a fixed reward for them.

What can children do on Mattu Pongal?

• Help wash and brush calves under an adult's eye, or help at a goshala.
• Make a small clay or paper cow for the puja shelf.
• Set out the Kanu Pidi rice with their mother or grandmother, and count the birds that come.
• Hear the story of Krishna as a cowherd in Gokul, and the folk legend of Nandi.

How to keep Mattu Pongal abroad

• Date. Keep it on the day after Thai Pongal in your city's panchang. On a working day, keep a short morning puja and celebrate at the weekend.
• Cattle. Some Hindu temples abroad keep cows or visit farms; check your temple's own website or notice board before you go. Otherwise, follow the no-cattle ideas above.
• Kanu Pidi in winter. Set the rice on a leaf or plate on a balcony or in the garden, and follow local rules on feeding wildlife. A banana leaf from an Indian grocer can replace turmeric leaves.

See the Pongal guide for all four days, and Makar Sankranti and Pongal dates abroad for your city's dates.

Frequently asked questions

When is Mattu Pongal in 2027?

In India, Mattu Pongal is on Saturday 16 January 2027, per Drik Panchang. Abroad, keep it on the day after Thai Pongal in your own city's panchang. Confirm with your local panchang or temple priest.

Why are cattle worshipped on Mattu Pongal?

The harvest depended on cattle for ploughing, carting and milk. Mattu Pongal thanks them, as Thai Pongal thanks the Sun. A folk legend about Nandi is also told.

What is Kanu Pidi?

Kanu Pidi is a women's observance kept on the day after Thai Pongal in many Tamil families. Women and girls set out small handfuls of coloured rice and pongal on leaves for birds and pray for their brothers' welfare. Details differ by family.

Is Kanu Pidi the same as Kaanum Pongal?

No. Kanu Pidi is the bird-feeding observance on the third day, the day of Mattu Pongal. Kaanum Pongal is the fourth day, kept for family visits and outings.

Is Jallikattu legal?

Yes, in Tamil Nadu it is permitted under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act, 2017 and the rules made under it. The Supreme Court's Constitution Bench upheld that law on 18 May 2023 and directed strict enforcement. Events must follow the state's rules.

How can we observe Mattu Pongal without cattle?

Visit a goshala or a temple that keeps cows, donate to a registered animal welfare group, or feed birds. A small puja at home with a picture of a cow or of Krishna as a cowherd also marks the day.

Sources

• Drik Panchang, "Mattu Pongal 2027 date", https://www.drikpanchang.com/festivals/pongal/mattu-pongal-date-time.html?year=2027 (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Drik Panchang, "Kanuma Panduga 2027" (Hyderabad), https://www.drikpanchang.com/festivals/sankranti/kanuma-panduga/kanuma-panduga-date-time.html?year=2027&geoname-id=1269843 (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Supreme Court of India, Animal Welfare Board of India v. Union of India, W.P. (C) No. 23 of 2016, judgment of 18 May 2023, 2023 INSC 548, copy at https://www.scobserver.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Jallikattu-Judgement.pdf (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Supreme Court Observer, "Challenge to the Practice of Jallikattu", https://www.scobserver.in/cases/challenge-to-the-practice-of-jallikattu/ (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Mylapore Times, report on a Tirunelveli Kanu tradition kept in Mylapore, 16 January 2026, https://www.mylaporetimes.com/2026/01/tirunelveli-tradition-followed-in-mylapore-for-kanu-pongal/ (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Sri Vaishnava Bhakti List archive (ramanuja.org), "Mattu Pongal/Kanup Padi day of Pongal Festival", 15 January 2002, https://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/jan2002/0133.html (accessed 12 November 2026)
• DT Next, "Legends of the festival", https://www.dtnext.in/news/tamilnadu/legends-of-the-festival (accessed 12 November 2026)

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.

Related guides

• Pongal: the four days, meaning and customs
• Thai Pongal
• Kaanum Pongal
• Kanuma and Mukkanuma
• Mattu Pongal and Kanuma go-puja at home
• Makar Sankranti 2027 date and timings