Pongal 2027 पोंगल

Why Pongal is celebrated

Pongal is a thanksgiving festival. It begins on the day the Sun enters Makara, the first day of the Tamil month of Thai, and in 2027 the main day falls on Thursday, 14 January in the panchang. Farmers in Tamil Nadu harvest paddy, sugarcane and turmeric by mid January, and Pongal is the time to say thank you for that harvest. Thanks go to Surya, the Sun, for light and warmth, to the rain and soil for the crop, and to the bullocks and cows that pull the plough and give milk.

The word "pongal" means "to boil over". It also names the sweet rice dish cooked on the main day. When the pot of rice and milk froths over its rim, the family shouts "Pongalo Pongal". The overflowing pot is a picture of plenty, and families hope the new year brings the same overflow of food, health and happiness into the home.

The festival also marks the sun's northward journey, called Uttarayan. Hindu tradition sees the following six months as an auspicious half of the year, so many weddings and new ventures in Tamil homes are planned after Pongal. A popular Tamil saying, "Thai pirandhal vazhi pirakkum", means that when Thai is born, a way forward opens. People use it to express hope that problems will ease with the new month.

Today Pongal is also a celebration of Tamil identity. Kolam art, folk music, new clothes and village sports bring together families who now live in cities far from their farms.

History and story of Pongal

The roots of Pongal lie in old Tamil farming life. Sangam period poems describe young women observing a vow in the month of Thai, bathing at dawn and praying for rain and good crops. Scholars link this "Thai Niradal" custom to the festival that later became Pongal. Inscriptions from the Chola period also refer to a harvest feast held around this time, which shows the celebration has a long and continuous history.

Several stories are told about the festival. One popular tale connects Mattu Pongal with Lord Shiva and his bull Nandi. According to the story, Shiva sent Nandi to tell people to bathe daily and eat once a month. Nandi mixed up the message and told them to eat daily and bathe once a month. Shiva then sent Nandi to earth to help farmers plough more land to grow the extra food. The story is told with humour, and it explains why cattle get special honour during Pongal.

Another account links Bhogi day with Lord Indra, the god of rain. Farmers thank Indra for the monsoon that fed the fields. The Krishna tradition adds that Krishna once asked the cowherds of Gokul to worship Govardhan hill instead of Indra, and the bonfires and cattle worship of the season echo that tale for many families.

How Pongal is celebrated

Preparations begin days in advance. Homes are cleaned and whitewashed, and old or broken items are set aside. On the first day, called Bhogi, families light a bonfire before dawn and throw unwanted things into it. The fire stands for leaving behind the old and making room for the new.

The main day, Thai Pongal, starts early. Women draw large kolam patterns with rice flour at the entrance, often with coloured powder and designs of sugarcane, pots and the sun. The Pongal pot is set on a stove in the courtyard or in the open air, facing the east. Fresh turmeric plants and ginger leaves are tied around the neck of the pot. Rice harvested that season is cooked in milk, and when it boils over, family members call out together. Some households make sakkarai pongal with jaggery, ghee, cardamom and cashews, while others also prepare ven pongal with moong dal, pepper and cumin.

The first portion goes to the Sun as an offering, along with sugarcane, bananas, turmeric and coconut. Family members wear new clothes, visit temples and share the food with neighbours.

On the third day, Mattu Pongal, cattle are bathed, their horns are painted and capped with brass or coloured covers, and bells and garlands are tied around their necks. They are fed pongal and bananas and taken around the village. In parts of Madurai and nearby districts, the bull-taming sport of Jallikattu is held during these days under rules set by the state.

The last day, Kaanum Pongal, is for visiting family and friends. In many homes, women place small balls of coloured rice on a turmeric leaf as a prayer for the welfare of their brothers. Families go on outings to beaches, parks and river banks.

Symbols, food and customs of Pongal

The Pongal pot is the main symbol of the festival. Families use a new clay or brass pot, smear it with sandalwood and kumkum, and tie fresh turmeric and ginger plants around its neck. The pot is placed on a fire of wood or cow dung cakes in the open, facing the rising Sun. When the milk and rice foam over the rim, the family calls out "Pongalo Pongal", and the spill is read as a sign that the home will overflow with plenty.

Sugarcane stalks are tied in pairs at the doorway or near the pot, and a bunch of bananas, a coconut and betel leaves complete the offering to Surya Dev. Kolam designs at the entrance show pots, sugarcane, the Sun and cattle, and many homes draw a fresh one each morning of the four days. Doorways carry thoranam, strings of mango leaves.

Food is simple and seasonal. Sakkarai pongal of new rice, jaggery, ghee, cardamom and cashew is the star dish, with ven pongal, vadai, payasam and a mixed vegetable kootu cooked from fresh harvest produce. Raw sugarcane is chewed by children all day. On Mattu Pongal, cattle wear painted horns, bells and garlands, and the same sweet pongal is fed to them first.

Pongal across India

The same solar event is celebrated across India under different names. North India marks Makar Sankranti with a holy dip, khichdi and til laddoos, and Punjab lights Lohri bonfires the night before. Assam celebrates Magh Bihu with community feasts, Gujarat flies kites on Uttarayan, and Andhra Pradesh and Telangana hold a three day Sankranti with Bhogi and Kanuma.

In Uttarakhand, the day is Uttarayani or Ghughutiya in Kumaon. Children wear garlands of sweet ghughute and call crows to eat them, and the Uttarayani fair at Bageshwar draws large crowds to the confluence of the Saryu and Gomti. Tamil families in Dehradun mark Pongal at home and at South Indian temples in the city.

Offices, banks, markets and travel during Pongal

Pongal is a restricted holiday for central government employees; the 2027 central list places it on Friday, 15 January, and the Supreme Court is closed that day. State and bank holiday lists for 2027 are not out yet.

Pongal has a fixed place in the central government holiday system. For 2027, Pongal sits on Friday, 15 January in both the optional pool and the restricted holiday list issued for central government offices. Central offices stay open that day, and staff may take it off from their restricted quota. The Supreme Court of India is closed on 15 January 2027 for Pongal. AIIMS Rishikesh also lists it as a restricted holiday on the same date.

State government lists and the RBI bank holiday list for 2027 are not out yet, so check them closer to January before planning bank or office work in Tamil Nadu or any other state.

For a rough idea, here is how 2026 went. Pongal was a restricted holiday on 14 January 2026 for central staff and for Delhi government staff. Kendriya Vidyalayas, Survey of India, Garhwal University and the Wadia Institute in Dehradun kept it as a restricted holiday too, and the Supreme Court was closed that day.

Trains and buses from Chennai and Bengaluru to towns across Tamil Nadu fill up well before the festival, so book early. Markets selling sugarcane, turmeric plants, clay pots and new clothes stay crowded for several days before Bhogi.