Pongal for kids

What is Pongal?

Pongal is the Tamil harvest festival. It is held in the month of Thai, when the rice harvest is in and people thank the Sun, the earth and the farm animals. The word pongal means “to boil over”, and it is also the name of the sweet rice dish that families cook. In 2027, the main day, Thai Pongal, is on Friday 15 January.

Four days of Pongal

Bhogi (Thursday 14 January 2027). People clear out old things from the house and make a clean start. In many places a small bonfire is lit with things that are no longer needed.

Thai Pongal (Friday 15 January). The main day. Families cook fresh rice with milk and jaggery in a new clay pot, often outdoors in the morning sun, and offer it to the Sun.

Mattu Pongal (Saturday 16 January). A day to thank cows and bulls for their work on the farm. Cattle are washed, and decorated with colours, garlands and bells.

Kaanum Pongal (Sunday 17 January). “Kaanum” means to see or visit. Families meet relatives and friends, go on outings and share food.

The pot that boils over

The most famous moment of Pongal is when the milk rises and spills over the edge of the pot. Everyone cheers “Pongalo Pongal!”, because overflowing milk is a sign of a plentiful year. Many families tie fresh turmeric plants around the pot and keep sugarcane stalks nearby. If you cook with children, a grown-up should handle the hot stove and pot.

What is a kolam?

Before a festival day, many Tamil homes draw a kolam on the clean ground at the front door. It is traditionally made with rice flour, which can feed tiny ants and birds. Some kolams are made with dots (pulli) joined by curved lines, and some are free-hand. At Pongal people often make bigger kolams, sometimes with colour, and they may draw a sun or a pot in them. If you like this art, you will enjoy our rangoli meaning and history page, since kolam and rangoli are close cousins.

Try it at home: a dot kolam

You need a sheet of paper, a pencil and coloured pencils or chalk. Draw a grid of dots, five dots in the first row, then four, three, two and one, to make a triangle or a diamond shape. Starting outside the dots, draw one curved line that loops around the dots without touching them, and keep going until the line comes back to where it started. The line should wrap each dot like a ribbon. Colour the inside.

If you want to draw a kolam outside, use chalk or a little rice flour on a swept path, away from where people will slip, and let the wind and the birds take it away. You can also try a digital version in our Rangoli Studio.

Questions to talk about

• Who grows the food on your plate?
• What old things could you tidy up or give away, as at Bhogi?
• How do you say thank you to the people and animals who help us?

More to explore on Rangooo

Read about the other January harvest festivals in our January guide, check dates on the festival calendar, listen to songs in the Music Room, or test yourself in the festival quiz.

Questions

When is Pongal in 2027?

Thai Pongal, the main day, is on Friday 15 January 2027. Bhogi is on Thursday 14 January, Mattu Pongal on Saturday 16 January and Kaanum Pongal on Sunday 17 January.

Why is the pot allowed to boil over?

The rice and milk bubbling over the pot is a sign of plenty and good luck. Everyone shouts “Pongalo Pongal!” when it happens. Pongal means “to boil over”.

What is a kolam?

A kolam is a pattern drawn at the doorstep, traditionally with rice flour. Many families draw one each morning to welcome guests, and larger kolams are made at Pongal.

Who celebrates Pongal?

Pongal is celebrated especially by Tamil communities in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Sri Lanka and around the world. Neighbours and friends of other faiths often join in the sweet Pongal.