Pongal 2012 Date — Sunday, January 15, 2012
When is Pongal in 2012? Pongal 2012 falls on Sunday, January 15, 2012.
Observance: Makar Sankranti (Pongal). City calendars may vary slightly by sunrise and amanta or purnimanta tradition — confirm with your local mandir.
Pongal 2012 — full list of dates
| Observance | Date & day | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bhogi Pongal | Sat, 14 January 2012 | |
| Thai Pongal (Surya Pongal) | Sun, 15 January 2012 | Main day |
| Mattu Pongal | Mon, 16 January 2012 | |
| Kaanum Pongal | Tue, 17 January 2012 |
Why we celebrate
The Sun enters sidereal Makara (Capricorn) and begins Uttarayana, its northward journey. It is the one major Hindu festival fixed to the solar calendar rather than the moon, so it lands on 14 or 15 January every year. In Tamil Nadu the same day is Thai Pongal, the harvest thanksgiving that opens the auspicious month of Thai.
Regional notes
Tamil Nadu: Thai Pongal. Andhra and Telangana: three-day Sankranti with Bhogi and Kanuma. Karnataka: Suggi Habba with ellu-bella exchange. Maharashtra: til-gul with the greeting 'til-gul ghya, god god bola'. Gujarat and Rajasthan: Uttarayan kites. Punjab: Maghi, the morning after Lohri. Assam: Magh Bihu with meji bonfires.
How it is celebrated
Four days in the Tamil country: Bhogi (bonfire of the old), Thai Pongal (the pongal pot boiling over), Mattu Pongal (honouring cattle) and Kaanum Pongal (family outings). Elsewhere it is Uttarayan kite flying in Gujarat, Lohri and Maghi in Punjab, Magh Bihu in Assam, Khichdi in Uttar Pradesh, and holy dips at Ganga Sagar, Prayagraj and Haridwar.
Puja timing
Punya Kaal is the roughly forty ghatis (about sixteen hours) after the Sun's ingress into Makara; if the transit happens after sunset the whole observance shifts to the next sunrise, which is why some years fall on 15 January.
Foods & offerings
Sakkarai pongal and ven pongal, sugarcane, til-gul laddu and gajak, khichdi, pitha in Assam.
Rituals
- Boil the pongal pot at sunrise and let it overflow while calling 'Pongalo Pongal'.
- Bathe in a river or take a sankalpa snan at home before sunrise.
- Draw a kolam or rangoli at the doorway.
- Give til-gul, grain or cloth as daan.
Pongal dates by year
| Year | Date & day |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Sat, 15 January 2011 |
| 2012 | Sun, 15 January 2012 |
| 2013 | Mon, 14 January 2013 |
| 2014 | Tue, 14 January 2014 |
| 2015 | Thu, 15 January 2015 |
Hindu festivals around Pongal 2012
- Makar Sankranti 2012 date — Sun, 15 January 2012
- Vasant Panchami 2012 date — Sat, 28 January 2012
- Thaipusam 2012 date — Tue, 7 February 2012
- Maha Shivaratri 2012 date — Mon, 20 February 2012
- Holika Dahan 2012 date — Thu, 8 March 2012
- Holi 2012 date — Fri, 9 March 2012
- Ugadi 2012 date — Fri, 23 March 2012
- Gudi Padwa 2012 date — Fri, 23 March 2012
- Chaitra Navratri 2012 date — Fri, 23 March 2012
- Ram Navami 2012 date — Sun, 1 April 2012
- Hanuman Jayanti 2012 date — Fri, 6 April 2012
- Vishu 2012 date — Fri, 13 April 2012
