Pongal festival is a major festival of Tamil Nadu, South India. It is the harvest festival of the people of this region, and is celebrated as thanks giving for three days.

Harvest festival is celebrated throughout India, in different names. In South India, especially in Tamil Nadu, harvest festival is referred as Pongal festival. It is one of their major festivals and is celebrated with gaiety, pomp and enthusiasm. The whole State will have a festive look. The festival is named after a sweet dish called pongal, and is celebrated for three days. They are known as Bhogi Pongal offered to the rain God Bhogi, Surya Pongal offered to Sun God, and Mattu Pongal offered to the cattles who helped them in getting good harvest in their agriculture. This festival usually starts on January 13th and ends on January 15th, every year.

Destroying the old and unwanted things, thorough cleaning of the house, decorating the entrants of the house with rangolis, preparation of sweet pongal, and thanking the cattles for their dedicated work are some of the main rituals followed during this occasion.

Pongal dish is prepared on Surya Pongal day with new rice, dal, jaggery, dry fruits, sugar and milk. These are cooked in a new clay pot in the open and allowed to boil over. This boiling over signifies plenty and prosperity for the year ahead. This sweet dish is first offered to Sun God, before offering to others.

On Mattu Pongal day, cows are also worshipped, and they are considered as harbinger of prosperity, through milk and working in the fields along with the bulls. This is called Kanumu. In some parts of Tamil Nadu, the decorated bulls are taken for bull fight, called Jalli Kattu, on Mattu Pongal day.

According to a legend, Basava, the bull of Lord Shiva got a curse from Him for inadvertently passing His message to people, and as a result, the bulls are required to plough the fields and help people produce more food.

In other parts of South India, this day is celebrated as Makara Sankranthi festival.