Pongal 2027: Dates, the Four Days and How It Is Celebrated

Quick answer: Thai Pongal 2027, the main day of Pongal, is on Friday 15 January 2027 in India per the panchang. The four days run from Bhogi on Thursday 14 January to Kaanum Pongal on Sunday 17 January. In the USA, Canada and the UK the panchang gives Thai Pongal on Thursday 14 January 2027.

Pongal (sometimes spelt Ponggal) is the Tamil harvest festival. Families thank Surya, the Sun, for the harvest, cook new rice in a new pot until it boils over, honour the cattle that work the land, and visit relatives. It begins on the first day of Thai, the Tamil solar month that starts when the Sun enters Makara (Capricorn), which is why it falls on the same day as Makar Sankranti.

Pongal 2027 dates at a glance

India dates and Chennai timings are from Drik Panchang's 2027 festival and Sankranti pages. Makar Sankranti is on 15 January in India per the panchang; some government lists mark 14 January. Outside India the date depends on where you live, so read Makar Sankranti and Pongal dates abroad for your city. Temples abroad often hold their main Pongal programme on the nearest weekend. Confirm with your local panchang or temple priest.

What is Pongal and why is it kept?

The word pongal comes from the Tamil verb meaning "to boil over" or "to rise over". It names both the festival and the dish at its heart: new rice, milk and jaggery boiled in a fresh pot until the froth spills over the rim. The overflow is read as a sign of plenty for the home in the year ahead.

Pongal is kept for three reasons that run together:

• Thanksgiving to Surya. The first pot of the new rice is offered to the Sun before the family eats. Farmers depend on the Sun for every crop, and the festival thanks him at the moment the harvest comes in.
• The start of the month Thai. Thai is the tenth month of the Tamil solar calendar. Pongal day is the first day of Thai, and many Tamil families treat the month as a good time for weddings and new beginnings.
• Gratitude to everyone who made the harvest possible. The cattle are honoured on the third day. Relatives, neighbours and helpers are fed and visited on the days around it.

Pongal is observed across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, by Tamil communities in Sri Lanka, and by Tamil families around the world. Neighbouring regions mark the same moment with their own festivals: the Telugu states keep Sankranti with Bhogi and Kanuma, Karnataka keeps Makara Sankramana, and so on. Our guide to the festival's names across India lists them.

Why is Pongal on 15 January in 2027?

Pongal follows the Sun, not the Moon. Thai begins with the Sun's entry into sidereal Makara, the moment Hindus call Makara Sankranti. In 2027 Drik Panchang puts that moment at 9:14 PM IST on Thursday 14 January. Panchangs follow a sunset rule: when the moment comes after local sunset, the festival is kept the next day. So in India, Thai 1 and Thai Pongal fall on Friday 15 January 2027.

Two common claims are wrong. Pongal does not mark the winter solstice, which falls around 21 or 22 December; the two drifted apart over many centuries because of the slow wobble of the Earth's axis. And the date has nothing to do with leap years: it moves between 14 and 15 January depending on when the moment falls against sunset in a given place. Sankranti is also not a rare kind of festival; the April new-year festivals such as Puthandu, Vishu and Vaisakhi are solar too. Our Makar Sankranti 2027 guide explains the astronomy, the Punya Kaal and the dates by city in full.

The four days of Pongal at a glance

Bhogi: clearing out the old

Bhogi (Bhogi Pandigai in Tamil) is the last day of the month Margazhi. Houses are cleaned, old mats and worn-out household things are set aside, and in many places a small fire is lit before dawn to burn what cannot be reused. Explanations of the day differ. Many Tamil and Telugu accounts dedicate it to Indra, the god of rain, with prayers for good rains. Others tell it alongside the story of Krishna lifting Mount Govardhana, after which, in one telling reported in the Tamil press, Krishna allowed a festival in Indra's honour to continue. Read more in our Bhogi guide.

Thai Pongal: the main day

Thai Pongal, also called Surya Pongal, is the first day of Thai. After bathing, the family draws a large kolam, sets a new pot on the fire facing the Sun, and boils new rice in milk. When it froths over, everyone calls out "Pongalo Pongal!". Jaggery, ghee and cardamom go in to make sakkarai (sweet) pongal, and a savoury ven pongal is often made too. The first portion is offered to Surya on a banana leaf with sugarcane, bananas and coconut, then shared. Read the full Thai Pongal guide.

Mattu Pongal and Kanu Pidi

Maadu means cattle in Tamil, and Mattu Pongal honours the cows and bulls that plough, draw carts and give milk. They are bathed, their horns are painted, and they are decorated with garlands, bells and turmeric and kumkum marks, then fed pongal, sugarcane and bananas. In parts of Tamil Nadu, Jallikattu events are held on this day and in the following weeks (see the legal position below).

On the morning of the same day, women in many households, especially in Tamil Brahmin families, keep Kanu Pidi. They set small heaps or balls of rice coloured white, yellow and red, with a little sweet pongal or curd rice, on turmeric leaves outside the house, and call the crows to eat. Sisters pray for their brothers and for the family to stay together, as crows are said to gather their whole flock before eating. Kanu Pidi is a women's morning observance; it is not the same as Kaanum Pongal. See the Mattu Pongal guide.

Kaanum Pongal: the day for visits

Kaanum means "seeing" or "visiting". The fourth day is for meeting relatives, taking the blessings of elders, and going out together to beaches, parks, temples and fairs. Some writers note that the outing custom, especially in towns, is the most recent part of the festival. Read the Kaanum Pongal guide.

The Telugu sequence: Bhogi, Sankranti, Kanuma, Mukkanuma

In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana the same days carry Telugu names. In 2027 Bhogi is on Thursday 14 January, Sankranti (Pedda Panduga, "the big festival") on Friday 15 January, Kanuma on Saturday 16 January and Mukkanuma on Sunday 17 January. Kanuma, like Mattu Pongal, honours cattle; Mukkanuma closes the festival. Each region keeps its own customs, from muggulu and gobbemmalu to Haridasu singers, so read our Kanuma and Mukkanuma guide and the Sankranti in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana guide rather than assuming the Tamil customs apply.

Pongal in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry

The pongal pot, new rice and sugarcane

The festival centres on one pot. Families buy a new clay or brass pot, tie a fresh turmeric plant (leaves and root together) around its neck or set it beside the pot, and decorate it with turmeric, kumkum and sometimes a garland. In villages the pot is set on a temporary hearth in the courtyard; in towns it may be a gas stove on a balcony or in the kitchen, facing east where possible.

The rice is from the new harvest wherever families can get it. Long stalks of sugarcane are stood beside the pot or tied at the entrance. Bananas, coconut, betel leaves and areca nut complete the offering. Many families also wear new clothes for the day.

The kolam

Women and girls draw a kolam, a design in rice flour, at the doorstep before sunrise. Pongal kolams are often larger than usual and may show the overflowing pot, sugarcane, the Sun and the Moon. Rice flour feeds ants and birds, which many families see as part of the kolam's purpose.

"Pongalo Pongal": what the call means

"Pongalo Pongal!" is the festive call shouted when the pot boils over. It is not a mantra. It simply celebrates the moment: the rice has risen and spilled over, and the household wishes that its joys and harvest will overflow in the same way.

Holidays in Tamil Nadu: Pongal, Thiruvalluvar Day and Uzhavar Thirunal

Tamil Nadu's 2027 public holiday list, as reported, gives Pongal on Friday 15 January, Thiruvalluvar Day on Saturday 16 January and Uzhavar Thirunal on Sunday 17 January. Confirm the dates against the state government's own order once you can see it.

• Thiruvalluvar Day honours Thiruvalluvar, the poet of the Tirukkural, the classical Tamil book of ethics. Its chapter on farming holds up the farmer as the one on whom everyone else depends, which links it naturally to the harvest days.
• Uzhavar Thirunal means "farmers' festival day". It falls on the same day as Kaanum Pongal in 2027.

Bhogi is not reported as a Tamil Nadu holiday for 2027.

Jallikattu: the current legal position

Jallikattu is an event in which a bull is released into a crowd and young men try to hold on to its hump for a set distance or time. It is held in parts of Tamil Nadu between January and May, with many events in the Pongal season.

Its legal history in short:

1. In Animal Welfare Board of India v. A. Nagaraja and others (7 May 2014), a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court held Jallikattu and bullock-cart races to be contrary to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and struck down Tamil Nadu's earlier Regulation of Jallikattu Act, 2009.
2. Tamil Nadu then passed the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act, 2017, which received the President's assent, and framed the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Conduct of Jallikattu) Rules, 2017. The Act defines Jallikattu as an event involving bulls held to follow tradition and culture on days and at places notified by the State Government between January and May, and includes manjuvirattu, vadamadu and erudhuvidum vizha.
3. In Animal Welfare Board of India and others v. Union of India (Writ Petition (Civil) No. 23 of 2016, decided 18 May 2023), a five-judge Constitution Bench upheld the Tamil Nadu Act, and with it the Maharashtra and Karnataka laws on bullock-cart races and Kambala. The Court said whether Jallikattu is part of Tamil culture is a question for the legislature, and it would not disturb the legislature's view.
4. The same judgment directed that the law and rules be strictly enforced, and made District Magistrates and competent authorities responsible for compliance.

So Jallikattu is lawful in Tamil Nadu only when held under the amended Act and the 2017 Rules, on notified days and at notified places. The petitioners, including the Animal Welfare Board of India, argued that the events are cruel to bulls, and animal-welfare groups continue to oppose them. Injuries to participants and spectators are reported in many seasons. If you attend, go only to an officially permitted event, follow the instructions of the organisers and police, keep children well back from the barricades, and never bet on any animal event.

Pongal and Makar Sankranti: what is shared and what differs

Pongal and Makar Sankranti fall on the same day because both start from the Sun's entry into Makara. They are not the same festival under two names: each region keeps the day in its own way.

How to do the Pongal puja at home

Customs differ between families and communities, so treat this as an outline and follow your own elders. Our full Thai Pongal puja at home guide gives each step, and the puja samagri checklist lists what to buy.

1. Bathe early, wear clean or new clothes and draw the kolam.
2. Set up the pot with the turmeric plant tied on, and place sugarcane, bananas, coconut and betel beside it.
3. Light a lamp and pray first to Ganesha, as many households do before any puja.
4. Boil the rice and milk, call "Pongalo Pongal!" when it overflows, then finish the sakkarai pongal.
5. Offer the pongal to Surya, facing the Sun if you can, with a lamp and camphor. Many people also offer water to the Sun; our Surya arghya guide explains how.
6. Share the pongal with the family, then with neighbours.

Some families recite the Aditya Hridayam, a hymn to the Sun in the Yuddha Kanda of the Valmiki Ramayana, in which the sage Agastya teaches Rama to worship the rising Sun before battle. Others recite Surya's names or a family prayer. Use your family prayer book or ask your priest for the text; you can read more on our Aditya Hridayam page. Vaishnava households often end the month of Margazhi with Andal's Tiruppavai in the days before Pongal; see our Koodaravalli guide.

For the cattle day, see Mattu Pongal and Kanuma go puja.

Pongal foods and recipes

• Sakkarai pongal: the sweet pongal of the main day, made with new rice, moong dal, jaggery, ghee, cardamom, cashews and raisins. Recipe: sakkarai pongal.
• Ven pongal: savoury rice and moong dal with pepper, cumin, ginger and curry leaves. Recipe: ven pongal.
• Kalkandu pongal: sweetened with rock sugar instead of jaggery. Recipe: kalkandu pongal.
• Chakkara pongali: the Telugu sweet rice for Sankranti. Recipe: chakkara pongali.
• Sweets for the season: ariselu or adhirasam, the jaggery and rice-flour sweet. Recipe: ariselu and adhirasam.

Many homes also make vadai, a mixed-vegetable kootu or kuzhambu with the new season's vegetables, and payasam. Browse all our Pongal recipes.

Sharing and giving at Pongal

Giving is built into the festival. The first pot goes to the Sun, the cattle get their share on Mattu Pongal, and the crows are fed on Kanu Pidi morning. Families send pongal, sugarcane and bananas to neighbours, and in farming households it is customary to give food, grain or new clothes to the people who work on the land and in the house. Abroad, many families give to a food bank, a temple annadanam (free meal) fund or a shelter instead.

Pongal abroad

Tamil families in Sri Lanka, South-East Asia, the Gulf, Europe, North America, Australia and elsewhere keep Pongal at home and at temples. Thai Pongal follows your local Sankranti day, so the date is not the same everywhere.

In Sydney and Melbourne the Sankranti moment is 2:44 AM on Friday, before sunrise; in Perth it is 11:44 PM on Thursday, after sunset. Either way Australia keeps Friday; check your local panchang. Bhogi is the day before your local Thai Pongal, and Mattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal are the two days after. Because Thai Pongal falls on a working day in most countries, many temples and Tamil associations hold their main celebration on the weekend of 16 and 17 January 2027. Check your temple's own announcement. For other cities, see Makar Sankranti and Pongal dates abroad.

Practical tips for a home abroad:

• Cook the pongal on the stove and let it froth over into a tray, or simply let it rise to the brim. The call and the offering matter more than the spill.
• Turmeric plants and sugarcane are sold in many Indian and South-East Asian grocers in January; a turmeric root and a small piece of sugarcane will do if you cannot find them.
• Draw the kolam with chalk on a balcony or with rice flour on a board indoors.
• If the day is a working day, do a short morning prayer and keep the cooking and visiting for the weekend.

Safety and eco notes

• Bhogi fires. Never burn plastic, tyres, rubber, synthetic cloth or painted wood; the smoke is toxic. The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board has appealed to residents to avoid burning such things and to keep Bhogi smoke-free. Follow air-quality advisories in your city. Many families now give old things away or recycle them and light only a lamp.
• Fires abroad and in apartments. No open flame on balconies. Check local fire bans and permits before any outdoor fire, keep a bucket of water or an extinguisher near, and keep children and elders back.
• Clay pots on modern stoves. Unglazed clay can crack on direct high heat. Season a new pot as the maker advises, use a flame diffuser or low flame, never put a clay pot on an induction hob, and do not leave a boiling pot unattended. A steel or brass pot is a safe alternative.
• Smoke alarms. Ghee lamps, camphor and boil-overs can set them off. Open a window rather than disabling the alarm.
• Cattle. Approach decorated animals calmly, from the front, with the owner present. Keep children away from horns and hind legs, use only safe, non-toxic paints and colours, and do not feed them plastic-wrapped sweets.
• Allergens. Pongal dishes often contain cashews, milk and ghee, and Sankranti sweets contain sesame and peanuts. Tell guests what is in each dish and keep a nut-free portion aside if needed.

Is Pongal the Tamil New Year?

No. In Tamil Nadu the Tamil New Year, Puthandu, is the first day of the month Chithirai in mid-April. There is a long-standing view, held by some Tamil scholars and groups, that the Tamil year should begin on Thai 1 instead. A Tamil Nadu law of 2008 moved the official New Year to Thai 1, and it was repealed in 2011, restoring Chithirai 1. The question is still debated, but Pongal itself is the harvest festival at the start of Thai, not the New Year.

Frequently asked questions

When is Pongal 2027?

In India, Thai Pongal 2027 is on Friday 15 January 2027 per the panchang. Bhogi is on Thursday 14 January, Mattu Pongal on Saturday 16 January and Kaanum Pongal on Sunday 17 January. In the USA, Canada and the UK, Thai Pongal is on Thursday 14 January 2027.

Why is Pongal on 14 January in some countries and 15 January in others?

Thai Pongal is kept on the local day of the Sun's entry into Makara. In 2027 that moment is 9:14 PM IST on 14 January, after sunset in India, so India keeps it on 15 January. In North America and the UK the moment falls during the daytime of 14 January local time, so the festival is that day.

What are the four days of Pongal?

Bhogi clears out the old, Thai Pongal thanks the Sun with the new rice, Mattu Pongal honours cattle, and Kaanum Pongal is for visiting family. In 2027 in India they run from Thursday 14 January to Sunday 17 January.

What does "Pongalo Pongal" mean?

It is the festive call shouted when the pot of rice and milk boils over. It celebrates the overflow as a sign of plenty and wishes the same abundance for the household. It is a joyful cry, not a mantra.

What is the difference between Kanu Pidi and Kaanum Pongal?

Kanu Pidi is a women's observance on the morning of Mattu Pongal, when coloured rice is set out on turmeric leaves for crows and sisters pray for their brothers and family. Kaanum Pongal is the next day, the fourth day of the festival, given to family visits and outings.

Is Pongal the same as Makar Sankranti?

They fall on the same day because both begin with the Sun's entry into Makara. Pongal is the Tamil form of the festival, with its own four days, foods and customs. Makar Sankranti is the pan-Indian name, kept differently in each region.

Is Pongal the Tamil New Year?

No. Puthandu, in mid-April, is the Tamil New Year as observed in Tamil Nadu. Some Tamils hold that the year should begin on Thai 1; a 2008 state law adopting that view was repealed in 2011.

Is Jallikattu legal?

In Tamil Nadu it is lawful when held under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act, 2017 and its 2017 Rules, on notified days and places. A Supreme Court Constitution Bench upheld the Act on 18 May 2023 and directed strict enforcement by District Magistrates. Animal-welfare groups continue to oppose the events.

Can I make Pongal in an apartment?

Yes. Use a steel, brass or seasoned clay pot on the stove on a low flame, let the milk rise to the brim and call "Pongalo Pongal!". Draw a small kolam at the door, offer the pongal facing east or by a sunny window, and keep any lamp away from curtains and smoke alarms.

Is Pongal a public holiday in Singapore or Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka lists Tamil Thai Pongal Day on Friday 15 January 2027 as a bank, public and mercantile holiday. Singapore's Ministry of Manpower list for 2027 does not include Pongal, so it is not a public holiday there.

Sources

• Drik Panchang, Thai Pongal 2027, Chennai: https://www.drikpanchang.com/festivals/pongal/thai-pongal-date-time.html?geoname-id=1264527&year=2027 (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Drik Panchang, Makar Sankranti 2027 (moment and Punya Kaal by city): https://www.drikpanchang.com/sankranti/makar-sankranti-date-time.html?year=2027 (accessed 11 November 2026)
• Drik Panchang, Bhogi Pandigai, Mattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal 2027: https://www.drikpanchang.com/festivals/pongal/mattu-pongal-date-time.html?year=2027 (accessed 11 November 2026)
• Department of Posts, Government of India, forwarding the DoPT holiday list for 2027 (Makar Sankranti and Pongal restricted holidays): https://utilities.cept.gov.in/dop/pdfbind.ashx?id=15435 (accessed 11 November 2026)
• Goodreturns, "Tamil Nadu holidays 2027" (reported state list): https://www.goodreturns.in/news/tamil-nadu-holidays-2027-government-announces-24-public-holidays-check-full-list-and-long-weekends-1543037.html (accessed 11 November 2026)
• Supreme Court of India, Animal Welfare Board of India and others v. Union of India, W.P.(C) No. 23 of 2016, judgment of 18 May 2023: https://api.sci.gov.in/supremecourt/2016/1216/1216_2016_3_1501_44624_Judgement_18-May-2023.pdf (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Bank holidays 2027: https://www.cbsl.gov.lk/en/about/about-the-bank/bank-holidays-2027 (accessed 11 November 2026)
• Ministry of Manpower, Singapore, Public holidays: https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/public-holidays (accessed 11 November 2026)
• eSamskriti, Bindu Krishnan, "How Pongal is celebrated over four days" (16 January 2022): https://esamskriti.com/e/Culture/Festivals/How-PONGAL-is-celebrated-over-four-days--1.aspx (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Mylapore Times, report on a Tirunelveli family's Kanu observance in Mylapore (16 January 2026): https://www.mylaporetimes.com/2026/01/tirunelveli-tradition-followed-in-mylapore-for-kanu-pongal/ (accessed 12 November 2026)
• DT Next, "Legends of the festival": https://www.dtnext.in/news/tamilnadu/legends-of-the-festival (accessed 12 November 2026)
• DT Next, "Avoid burning plastic, tyres on Bhogi: TNPCB requests residents": https://www.dtnext.in/amp/story/news/chennai/avoid-burning-plastic-tyres-on-bhogi-tnpcb-requests-residents-818656 (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Scroll.in, Vinita Govindarajan, on the Tamil New Year date controversy (14 April 2017): https://scroll.in/magazine/834537/scroll_in (accessed 12 November 2026)

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.

Related guides

• Makar Sankranti 2027: date, Punya Kaal and city timings
• Thai Pongal
• Bhogi
• Mattu Pongal and Kanu Pidi
• Kaanum Pongal
• Makar Sankranti and Pongal dates abroad