Pongal is a 4-day long harvest festival. It is celebrated in the South Indian states, especially in Tamil Nadu. The festival is celebrated in the winter season when the earth reaches its extreme distance from the sun and starts moving towards the sun. It marks the beginning of good harvest season, making it a reason to celebrate.

When is Pongal 2022 date?

Festival date in 2022, begins on January 14, 2022; and continue till January 17, 2022.

Detailed information on Festival Dates

Each day of Pongal has its own significance, these are elaborated as follows:

• Bhogi Pandigai Festival (January 14, 2022):

According to the Tamil calender, Bhogi Pandigai falls on the last day of Margazhi month. The rain God, Indra, is honoured on this occasion. Farmers worship the earth and the sun by anointing the implements with a paste made from Sandalwood. Before the harvest, a special pooja is performed. On this day, people clean their houses and collect unwanted items. These items are then disposed of in a fire which is made with dried cow dung and wood. .

• Surya Pongal / Thai Pongal (January 15, 2022):

Surya falls on the first day of the Thai month in the Tamil calendar. It corresponds with the winter harvest festival, Makar Sankranti; which is celebrated throughout India. This occasion is in honour of Sun God, Surya, for providing energy and warmth for good and prosperous harvest. It marks Sun’s not heard journey of 6 months (Uttarayan period) that brings warm weather and thereby good harvest. This day dish is prepared and offered to the Sun God and shared with family and loved ones. It is made by facing the rising sun, the first rice of season, sugar and milk. Dish spilling over at the time of cooking signifies abundance.

• Mattu Pongal (January 16, 2022): Mattu Pongal is dedicated to cows worship. The cows provide milk to drink and help farmers in the field. On this day, cows are decorated with garlands and bathed. Their horns are painted and they are given special feast (including Pongal dish). Jallikattu, a traditional bullfighting sport is an integral part of this festival. However, animal rights activists want it to be banned.

• Katya Pongal / Kaanum Pongal (January 17, 2022): On the day of Katya Pongal, it is considered auspicious to feed birds (crows especially). Special colored rice balls are fed to birds by women. It is a ritual called Kaka Pudi Kannu Pudi. Through this, they pray for their brothers well-being. It’s a fun day, people go out with friends and enjoy with relatives.

In a nutshell, why do we celebrated this festival? The reason is the good harvest season coming on the way. Various Indian societies are deep-rooted with farming as their main occupation and from the beginning of this festival day, longer and warmer days occur as distance between earth and the sun goes down.