Hindu festival
Pongal
Also known as Thai Pongal.
In short
Pongal is the Tamil harvest festival of thanksgiving to the Sun, kept as the Sun enters the month of Thai — the same solar moment as Makar Sankranti. Freshly harvested rice is boiled with milk until it overflows, an auspicious sign of abundance, and offered to Surya.
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When is Pongal?
- This year’s date
- Set by the panchang each year from the rule below. Godify shows a specific date only once it is confirmed against an authoritative panchang — never guessed.
- Tithi / rule
- The Sun's entry into Makara at the start of the Tamil month of Thai — the same solar event as Makar Sankranti
- Calendar
- Solar calendar (sankranti / Sun's transit)
- Deity
- Surya
Primarily a Tamil harvest festival; the main day, Thai Pongal, coincides with Makar Sankranti (around 14–15 January).
The story
Pongal is a four-day Tamil harvest festival of gratitude — to the Sun, the earth, and the cattle that make the harvest possible. Its name is also that of the dish at its heart: rice newly boiled with milk and jaggery.
On Thai Pongal, the pot is watched until the pongal boils over — a joyous 'Pongalo Pongal!' greeting the overflow as a sign of prosperity for the year, first offered to Surya in thanks.
How it’s celebrated
Freshly harvested rice is boiled with milk and jaggery until it overflows, offered to Surya at sunrise; homes are decorated with kolam, and cattle are honoured on Mattu Pongal.
A mantra to mark the day
ॐ सूर्याय नमः
oṃ sūryāya namaḥ
I bow to Surya, the radiant Sun, source of life and vitality.
More Hindu festivals
About Pongal
When is Pongal?
Thai Pongal falls as the Sun enters Makara at the start of the Tamil month of Thai — around 14–15 January, the same solar event as Makar Sankranti.
What does Pongal celebrate?
The harvest and the Sun's life-giving warmth — a Tamil thanksgiving marked by boiling the first rice with milk until it joyfully overflows.
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