Pongal 2061 Date — Friday, January 14, 2061
When is Pongal in 2061? Pongal 2061 falls on Friday, January 14, 2061.
Observance: Makar Sankranti (Pongal). City calendars may vary slightly by sunrise and amanta or purnimanta tradition — confirm with your local mandir.
Pongal 2061 — full list of dates
| Observance | Date & day | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bhogi Pongal | Thu, 13 January 2061 | |
| Thai Pongal (Surya Pongal) | Fri, 14 January 2061 | Main day |
| Mattu Pongal | Sat, 15 January 2061 | |
| Kaanum Pongal | Sun, 16 January 2061 |
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 |
|---|---|
| 2060 | Thu, 15 January 2060 |
| 2061 | Fri, 14 January 2061 |
| 2062 | Sun, 15 January 2062 |
| 2063 | Mon, 15 January 2063 |
| 2064 | Tue, 15 January 2064 |
Hindu festivals around Pongal 2061
- Makar Sankranti 2061 date — Fri, 14 January 2061
- Vasant Panchami 2061 date — Wed, 26 January 2061
- Thaipusam 2061 date — Fri, 4 February 2061
- Maha Shivaratri 2061 date — Fri, 18 February 2061
- Holika Dahan 2061 date — Sun, 6 March 2061
- Holi 2061 date — Mon, 7 March 2061
- Ugadi 2061 date — Tue, 22 March 2061
- Gudi Padwa 2061 date — Tue, 22 March 2061
- Chaitra Navratri 2061 date — Tue, 22 March 2061
- Ram Navami 2061 date — Tue, 29 March 2061
- Hanuman Jayanti 2061 date — Mon, 4 April 2061
- Vishu 2061 date — Thu, 14 April 2061
