Pongal 2016 Date — Friday, January 15, 2016
When is Pongal in 2016? Pongal 2016 falls on Friday, January 15, 2016.
Observance: Makar Sankranti (Pongal). City calendars may vary slightly by sunrise and amanta or purnimanta tradition — confirm with your local mandir.
Pongal 2016 — full list of dates
| Observance | Date & day | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bhogi Pongal | Thu, 14 January 2016 | |
| Thai Pongal (Surya Pongal) | Fri, 15 January 2016 | Main day |
| Mattu Pongal | Sat, 16 January 2016 | |
| Kaanum Pongal | Sun, 17 January 2016 |
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 |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Thu, 15 January 2015 |
| 2016 | Fri, 15 January 2016 |
| 2017 | Sat, 14 January 2017 |
| 2018 | Sun, 14 January 2018 |
| 2019 | Tue, 15 January 2019 |
Hindu festivals around Pongal 2016
- Makar Sankranti 2016 date — Fri, 15 January 2016
- Vasant Panchami 2016 date — Fri, 12 February 2016
- Thaipusam 2016 date — Mon, 22 February 2016
- Maha Shivaratri 2016 date — Mon, 7 March 2016
- Holika Dahan 2016 date — Wed, 23 March 2016
- Holi 2016 date — Thu, 24 March 2016
- Ugadi 2016 date — Fri, 8 April 2016
- Gudi Padwa 2016 date — Fri, 8 April 2016
- Chaitra Navratri 2016 date — Fri, 8 April 2016
- Vishu 2016 date — Wed, 13 April 2016
- Baisakhi 2016 date — Wed, 13 April 2016
- Tamil Puthandu 2016 date — Wed, 13 April 2016
