Significance
Pongal is the Tamil harvest festival, a four-day thanksgiving to the Sun God (Surya) for a bountiful crop. It coincides with Makar Sankranti and marks the start of the auspicious Uttarayan.
The name comes from the ceremonial dish — freshly harvested rice boiled with milk and jaggery until it overflows the pot, a symbol of abundance.
Rituals
The four days are Bhogi (discarding the old), Thai Pongal (cooking the pongal dish to the Sun at sunrise), Mattu Pongal (honouring cattle) and Kaanum Pongal (family visits). Homes are decorated with kolam and the overflowing pot greeted with cries of "Pongalo Pongal!"
How the date is fixed
Thai Pongal falls on the first day of the Tamil month of Thai, when the Sun enters Capricorn — the same solar event as Makar Sankranti, around 14–15 January.