Pongal is a multi-day Hindu harvest festival celebrated by Tamils. It is observed over three or four consecutive days, beginning on the last day of the Tamil calendar month of Margazhi. The four days are named Bhogi, Thai Pongal, Mattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal. Thai Pongal, the principal day, falls on the first day of the Tamil month of Thai and usually corresponds to 14 or 15 January in the Gregorian calendar.
According to tradition, the festival marks the end of the winter solstice and the beginning of the Sun's six-month-long northward journey, called Uttarayana, when the Sun enters Capricorn. It is dedicated to the solar deity Surya and corresponds to Makar Sankranti, the Hindu observance celebrated under various regional names across the Indian subcontinent. The festival takes its name from the ceremonial dish "Pongal", a Tamil word meaning "boiling over" or "overflow", which is traditionally prepared by boiling fresh rice with milk and jaggery.
Each day carries a distinct emphasis. Bhogi precedes the main celebration, while Thai Pongal centres on cooking the eponymous dish and offering it to the Sun. Mattu Pongal is dedicated to cattle, which are bathed, their horns polished and painted in bright colours, garlanded with flowers and taken in processions. Kaanum Pongal is generally observed by visiting relatives and friends. Households decorate their entrances with kolam artworks made from rice powder, offer prayers at home, visit temples and exchange gifts, renewing social bonds of solidarity.
Pongal is also referred to as Tamizhar Thirunal ("festival of Tamils") and is regarded as one of the major festivals of the Tamil people, observed across various religious communities. It is celebrated in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, in parts of South India, in Sri Lanka, and by the Tamil diaspora in other parts of the world with a significant Tamil population.