Last updated on January 8th, 2026 at 12:38 pm
If Lohri is about gathering around a crackling fire on a chilly winter night, Pongal feels like stepping into warm sunshine after the harvest is done.
While Gujarat celebrates Uttarayan with kites, Tamil Nadu welcomes the season with Pongal.
Celebrated mainly in Tamil Nadu, Pongal is a four-day harvest festival that marks abundance, gratitude, and fresh beginnings. Pongal is celebrated around the same time as Makar Sankranti, which marks the sun’s northward journey.
It is a time when homes smell of sweet rice, courtyards are decorated with kolams, and families pause to say a heartfelt thank you—to nature, the sun, the earth, and even the animals that make farming possible.
At its heart, Pongal is about appreciation. For the food we eat, the hands that grow it, and the natural forces that sustain life.
What Does “Pongal” Mean?
The word Pongal literally means “to boil over.”
It refers to the ritual of cooking freshly harvested rice with milk until it spills over the pot—a symbolic gesture of prosperity and plenty.
This joyful moment is often met with laughter, clapping, and cries of “Pongalo Pongal!” as families hope for an overflowing year of happiness ahead.
Unlike festivals tied to a single epic story, Pongal stems from a rich agricultural history.
For farming communities in Tamil Nadu, Pongal marked the moment when months of labor finally paid off.
Traditionally:
- The harvest determined whether a family would thrive or struggle.
- Pongal was less about celebration first and more about relief and gratitude.
- The act of boiling rice until it overflowed symbolized a heartfelt hope: “May our food and happiness never fall short.”
Pongal wasn’t something to “remember” from scripture—it was something felt every year through the land, weather, and crops.
Day 1: Bhogi – Letting Go of the Old
Pongal begins with Bhogi, a day dedicated to renewal. Old clothes, broken items, and unused belongings are discarded, making space for the new.
Bonfires are lit early in the morning, symbolizing the act of letting go of clutter, negativity, and the past year’s burdens.
For children, Bhogi is a gentle lesson: sometimes, growth begins with releasing what we no longer need.
Did You Know? — Folk Dances of Pongal
Folk dances like Mayilattam and Kolattam were traditionally performed only after the harvest was complete. They celebrated shared joy and community rest after months of hard work in the fields.
Day 2: Thai Pongal – Honoring the Sun
The main celebration, Thai Pongal, is dedicated to Surya, the Sun God.
The sun is thanked for providing light, warmth, and energy essential for crops to grow.
1. Families cook the traditional Pongal dish outdoors, often in earthen pots, under the open sky.
Sugarcane, turmeric plants, and fresh rice are used in rituals, reinforcing the connection between daily food and the land it comes from.
2. Surya (the Sun) is not a distant deity but an everyday presence—rising, setting, ripening crops, drying grains.
Thai Pongal specifically thanks the sun for:
- Regulating seasons
- Helping rice mature
- Making life sustainable
Many elders still recall being taught to look at the sun and offer thanks, not just as a ritual, but as a moment of humility.
Across India, this period is observed as Makar Sankranti.
3. Homes are adorned with colorful kolams, and the atmosphere feels calm, grateful, and deeply rooted in tradition.
Kolams are more than decoration.
- Kolams invite positive energy into the home
- Traditional kolams are drawn using rice flour, allowing ants, birds, and insects to feed on them, making humans part of the food chain, not above it
This reflects an old Tamil worldview: humans coexist with nature; they don’t dominate it.
Did You Know?
Pongal is Celebrated in the Tamil Month of Thai (Not Just January). Pongal begins with Thai 1, the first day of the Tamil month of Thai.
There’s an old Tamil saying:
“Thai pirandhaal vazhi pirakkum”(When the month of Thai is born, new paths open.)
This phrase is still used in daily speech, not just during Pongal.
It reflects a belief that Thai marks optimism, opportunity, and fresh starts, especially after the hard months of farming labor.
Day 3: Mattu Pongal – Celebrating Our Helpers
Mattu Pongal honors cattle—cows and bulls—who play a crucial role in farming. They are bathed, decorated, and fed special treats.
This day reminds children that festivals aren’t just about people; they are also about recognizing the quiet helpers who support our lives in unseen ways. For native farming families, cattle were not symbolic—they were essential.
There’s a quiet, powerful belief behind Mattu Pongal:
“A farmer’s prosperity walks on four legs.”
Cows and bulls ploughed fields, transported harvests, and sustained families through milk.
Decorating cattle wasn’t performative—it was an act of respect and dependence.
In some villages, elders tell children that ignoring or mistreating cattle would bring poor harvests, reinforcing kindness and responsibility rather than fear.
Did You Know?
The sugarcane, banana, and coconut placed near the Pongal pot are symbols of abundance.
Sugarcane represents sweetness after hard work, Banana stands for nourishment and sustainability, and Coconut signifies wholeness and a complete harvest.
Day 4: Kaanum Pongal – Togetherness and Joy
The final day, Kaanum Pongal, is about Community. Families visit relatives, share meals, and spend time outdoors.
It’s a day filled with laughter, conversations, and the simple joy of being together.
Kaanum Pongal historically allowed families—especially women—to step outside daily routines, visit relatives, and rest after the harvest.
For natives, this day symbolized:
- Social bonding after intense labor
- Reconnecting with extended family
- Gratitude for people, not just produce
It’s a reminder that survival was communal, not individual.
Did You Know?
Thoranams were traditionally replaced only when the leaves dried naturally, reflecting the belief that nothing from nature should be discarded before its purpose is fulfilled.
Teaching Kids About Pongal
Pongal offers beautiful learning moments for children—gratitude, respect for nature, seasonal living, and the idea that food doesn’t just come from a store shelf. Whether it’s watching milk boil over, drawing kolams, or tasting sweet Pongal, these small experiences leave lasting impressions.
Pongal traditions are deeply tied to gratitude and nature. Reading about these ideas can help children understand the why behind the rituals. I’ve shared a collection of children’s books for Makar Sankranti, Lohri, and Pongal that bring these themes to life.
What Many Don’t Know About Pongal
1. Pongal as a Farmer’s Calendar Marker (Not Just a Festival)
Traditionally, Pongal is marked by:
- The end of sowing anxiety
- The beginning of accounting
Farmers would:
- Settle debts
- Take stock of the grain
- Plan marriages, travel, and ceremonies after Thai
This is why many Tamil weddings and auspicious events begin after Pongal.
2. Why Pongal Is Cooked Outdoors
Cooking Pongal under the open sky isn’t just aesthetic. It symbolizes:
- Transparency (nothing hidden from nature)
- Humility before the sun
- Equality — everyone, rich or poor, cooked the same food in the same way
It also ensured the sun “witnessed” the gratitude.
3. The Turmeric Plant: A Silent Hero of Pongal
In Tamil culture:
- Turmeric represents auspiciousness, protection, and continuity
- Fresh turmeric plants are used only when prosperity is expected
Placing turmeric near the Pongal pot was a hopeful declaration, not a ritual obligation.
4. Kolams are a Form of Moral Teaching
Beyond beauty, kolams taught:
- Discipline (drawn before sunrise)
- Generosity (rice flour fed insects)
- Balance (symmetry reflects harmony in life)
Conclusion
Pongal teaches us that gratitude can be quiet, everyday, and deeply meaningful. Through food, family, and respect for nature, the festival reminds us to pause and notice what truly sustains us.
As you celebrate or learn about Pongal, take a moment to share these stories with your children and keep these traditions alive in your own way.
Small conversations today can become lasting memories for tomorrow.
Explore More Harvest Festivals
Curious how different regions of India celebrate the harvest? Read about Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Uttarayan, and Magh Bihu across India.
