Pongal 2025 Date: When Is Harvest Festival Celebrated In Tamil Nadu This Year?

Festival Highlights

Bhogi Pandigai (January 13, 2025)

On this day, people clean their homes and light bonfires to discard old, unused items.

In Punjab, the same day is celebrated as Lohri by the Sikh community.

Thai Pongal (January 14, 2025)

• Thai Pongal is dedicated to the Sun God, marking gratitude for a bountiful harvest.
• Families boil freshly harvested rice with milk and jaggery in a new clay pot, allowing the mixture to overflow as a symbol of prosperity.
• The dish, known as Pongal, is garnished with brown sugar, ghee, cashews, and raisins, and is first offered to the Sun God before being shared with family and friends on banana leaves.
• Traditionally, the Pongal dish is prepared at sunrise in open spaces.
• Thai Pongal also marks the start of the Tamil solar month Thai, the tenth month in the Tamil calendar.

Mattu Pongal (January 15, 2025)

• The third day is dedicated to honoring and decorating cattle, recognizing their contribution to farming and livelihood.

Kaanum Pongal (January 16, 2025)

• The final day focuses on family reunions, with loved ones coming together to celebrate and exchange gifts.

Demand for a Nine-Day Pongal Holiday

Currently, Tamil Nadu government employees enjoy a four-day holiday during Pongal. However, they have requested an additional public holiday on January 17, 2025, to create a nine-day break from January 11 (Saturday) to January 19 (Sunday). The appeal is under consideration by Chief Minister MK Stalin.

Important Dates for Pongal 2025

• Bhogi Pandigai: Monday, January 13
• Thai Pongal: Tuesday, January 14 (Sankranti Moment: 9:03 AM)
• Mattu Pongal: Wednesday, January 15
• Kaanum Pongal: Thursday, January 16

The joyous festival symbolizes gratitude, abundance, and togetherness, uniting communities in celebration of nature’s bounty.Chinmoy Krishna Das, facing sedition charges, denied bail by Bangladesh court