Bhogi Pandigai
The first day of the Tamil 4-day Pongal harvest festival — old things go on the bonfire.
Gregorian date
14 January 2028
Friday
Tithi
Solar (eve of Thai Pongal)
Pausha (December – January)
Duration
single-day
Regional emphasis
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka
Also known as
Bhogi
Significance
The day before Thai Pongal. Tamil households burn old clothes, broken furniture, and discarded items in a Bhogi bonfire — a literal cleansing before the harvest sun is welcomed the next day. Honours Indra, the rain god.
What happens on the day
- •Pre-dawn Bhogi bonfire (burn old items)
- •Clean and decorate the home
- •Apply oil bath
- •Prepare Pongal-cooking utensils for the next day
About the month of Paushaपौष
Coldest month. Sun begins its northward journey at Makar Sankranti (transitioning from Pausha to Magha). Tamil Pongal and Punjabi Lohri fall around the same time.
More festivals in Pausha
Lohri
14 January 2028 · Solar (eve of Makar Sankranti)
Punjab's harvest bonfire festival — celebrated on the eve of Makar Sankranti.
Thai Pongal
15 January 2028 · Sun enters Capricorn (solar)
Tamil Nadu's harvest festival — sweet pongal cooked in a new clay pot facing the rising sun.
Makar Sankranti
15 January 2028 · Sun enters Capricorn (solar — not lunar tithi)
The sun begins its northward journey — the most auspicious solar event.
Mattu Pongal
16 January 2028 · Solar (day after Thai Pongal)
Cattle worship — the third day of Pongal honours the bulls and cows that work the fields.