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Hindu festival · San Francisco Bay Area
Thai Pongal
Dates for the Bay Area
- Wednesday, 14 January 2026Major festival
- Thursday, 14 January 2027Major festivalnext
Why it matters
The principal Tamil harvest thanksgiving day honors Surya and expresses gratitude for agricultural abundance.
The story behind it
Freshly harvested rice is cooked until it overflows—“Pongalo Pongal”—as a sign of abundance and shared prosperity.
Prayers and worship
Surya pooja, kolam decoration, family prayer and offering the freshly cooked pongal to the Sun are common.
Fasting and devotional customs
Fasting and household customs vary; follow the temple or family tradition for this observance.
What is typically offered
Sweet or ven pongal, sugarcane, turmeric plants, bananas, coconuts and kolam designs.
Visiting a temple that day
Visitors may see a ceremonial boiling of pongal and outdoor Sun worship. The larger Pongal cycle also includes Bhogi, Mattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal.
Spiritual themes
Gratitude, abundance, community, agriculture and harmony with nature.
Request this pooja
Sri Kumar Gurukkal performs Thai Pongal observances at your home, at a temple, or with family joining remotely.
Request a pooja Add 14 Jan 2027 to calendarKeep this in your calendar
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Subscribe to the festival calendar Share on WhatsAppTamil harvest festival; local solar ingress anchor. This date was validated against a location-specific Northern-California Panchāṅgam source. Dates are compiled for the Fremont / Bay Area location and checked against Northern-California Panchāṅgam references. They can differ from a calendar computed for another city or another sampradāya. Please confirm any date on which you plan a ceremony with Sri Kumar Gurukkal. How these dates are calculated →