Pongal 2027: Dates of All Four Days, Meaning and How to Celebrate

When is Pongal 2027?

Thai Pongal 2027 is on Friday, January 15, 2027 in India. In North America the dates fall a day earlier: Drik Panchang's and ShubhPanchang's New York calendars both list Makar Sankranti, the day of Thai Pongal, on Thursday, January 14, 2027, and Drik lists Mattu Pongal on Friday, January 15.

Day	India	New York (Drik Panchang's US listing)
Bhogi	The day before Thai Pongal	Wednesday, January 13
Thai Pongal	Friday, January 15	Thursday, January 14
Mattu Pongal	The day after Thai Pongal	Friday, January 15
Kaanum Pongal	The day after Mattu Pongal	Saturday, January 16

What is Pongal?

Pongal is a four-day harvest festival celebrated especially in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka and Puducherry, and by Tamil families everywhere. It welcomes the new year with prayers for a good harvest. In Tamil, pongal means "spilling over": the festival is named for the custom of boiling rice in a pot until it overflows, and pongal is also the sweet rice-and-lentil dish cooked on the day.

The four days of Pongal

Bhogi. The day before Thai Pongal. Homes are cleaned and decorated with kolam, and old things are discarded, sometimes in a bonfire.
Thai Pongal. The main day, on Makar Sankranti. The family boils rice, milk and jaggery in a new pot outdoors, and when it spills over they call out "Pongalo pongal!" and offer it to Surya, the sun.
Mattu Pongal. Cattle, who made the harvest possible, are bathed, decorated with garlands and paint, and fed a feast.
Kaanum Pongal. A day for visiting family and friends and going on outings.

How to celebrate Pongal at home in the US

Draw a kolam at your door on Bhogi morning.
Make sweet pongal (sakkarai pongal) on Thai Pongal, ideally in a new pot, and let it boil over.
Light a diya and offer the first serving to Surya, then share it.
Many Tamil associations and temples in the US hold community Pongal celebrations on the nearest weekend.

Diya, the app, reminds you of festival days and lets you light a diya every day. Diya is available for iPhone. See the Diya app.

Questions people ask

When is Pongal in 2027?

Thai Pongal is on Friday, January 15, 2027 in India (Drik Panchang for New Delhi and Prokerala). Drik Panchang's New York calendar lists Thursday, January 14, 2027.

What are the four days of Pongal?

Bhogi (cleaning out the old), Thai Pongal (the main day, cooking pongal for the sun), Mattu Pongal (honoring cattle) and Kaanum Pongal (visiting family and outings).

What does Pongal mean?

In Tamil, pongal means "spilling over". The festival is named for boiling rice in a pot until it overflows, and pongal is also the sweet rice-and-lentil dish cooked that day.

Is Pongal the same as Makar Sankranti?

Thai Pongal falls on Makar Sankranti, the day the sun moves into Capricorn. Tamil Nadu celebrates it as Pongal, Punjab as Lohri and Maghi, Gujarat as Uttarayan.