Hindu festival · San Francisco Bay Area

Bhogi

Vedic Tamil Nadu / Andhra / Telangana Harvest festival Indra / seasonal

Dates for the Bay Area

  • Tuesday, 13 January 2026Harvest festival
  • Wednesday, 13 January 2027Harvest festivalnext
  • Thursday, 13 January 2028Harvest festival
Traditions differ. What follows describes common practice, not the only correct practice. Observance varies by region, sampradāya and family, and Sri Kumar Gurukkal will follow your family’s tradition. Our editorial & ritual standards →

Why it matters

Bhogi opens the Saṅkrānti–Poṅgal festival on the last day of Mārgaḻi (Telugu Dhanurmāsa). In Tamil Nadu and the Telugu states it is a day of clearing out: homes are cleaned and old, unwanted things are discarded to make room for the new season.

Where it falls

Bhogi is the eve of the festival: Telugu Saṅkrānti and Tamil Tai Poṅgal both fall the next day.

The story behind it

Telugu accounts read the dawn fire as letting go of old habits and attachments. Tamil accounts often link the day to Indra as giver of rain, and classical Tamil literature speaks of the old making way for the new. In Telugu Vaiṣṇava temples, Godā (Āṇḍāḷ) Kalyāṇam marks the close of Dhanurmāsa.

Prayers and worship

In Tamil Nadu, prayers on Bhogi are commonly directed to Indra, with thanks for rain and hope for a good season. In Andhra Pradesh, Vaiṣṇava temples in and around Tirupati celebrate the wedding of Godā and Raṅganātha as Dhanurmāsa ends.

How families keep it

Telugu families commonly draw muggulu over a cow-dung wash and set gobbemmalu (decorated cow-dung balls) on them; Tamil homes are cleaned and repainted. Bonfires (bhogi mantalu) are traditional; Tamil Nadu officials now ask people not to burn plastic or tyres. In the Bay Area, open burning is generally prohibited, and wood fires are banned on winter Spare the Air days.

What is typically offered

The evening Bhogi paḷḷu (bhogi paṇḍlu) rite in Telugu homes showers children with regi paḷḷu (Indian jujube), usually mixed with flowers, coins and sugarcane pieces, as elders bless them for health and prosperity. Gobbemmalu are adorned with turmeric, kuṅkumam and flowers.

Visiting a temple that day

These festivals often have a strong cultural component alongside temple worship. Food and community programs may be central. Temple practices vary by region and sampradaya. Dress modestly, remove footwear where required, follow priest/volunteer directions, ask before photography, and check the temple’s event page for exact pooja, fasting and prasādam arrangements.

Sources for this page (16)

The description above is this site’s own, researched from the sources below and written in our words; each section rests on at least two of them. It has not been reviewed by Sri Kumar Gurukkal, and it describes how families commonly keep the day — your family’s tradition comes first.

  1. Bhogi — Wikipedia
  2. What is Pongal? (Pongal interactive learning portal) — Indian Heritage Centre, National Heritage Board (Singapore)
  3. Press release No. 100: Bhogi air-quality monitoring, 14 Jan 2023 — Government of Tamil Nadu (DIPR) / Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board
  4. Avoid burning plastic, tyres on Bhogi: TNPCB requests residents (Jan 2025) — DT Next
  5. Pongal (festival) — Wikipedia
  6. Three-day Sankranti festivities begin in Telangana, AP (13 Jan 2018) — WION
  7. Three Day Sankranti Festivities Begin In Telangana And AP (14 Jan 2018) — Sakshi Post
  8. People burn waste items during 'Bhogi' as the first day of the Pongal festival begins (13 Jan 2025) — DT Next (ANI)
  9. Grandeur marks Sri Goda Kalyanam (14 Jan 2025) — The Hans India
  10. Goda Kalyanam brings down curtain on Dhanurmasam festivities — The Hindu (via inkl)
  11. Press note: Pongal and Tamil New Year celebrations at Tamil Nadu House, New Delhi (2009) — Government of Tamil Nadu
  12. Bhogi bonfires start Sankranti festivities in AP (15 Jan 2023) — Deccan Chronicle
  13. Open Burn fact sheet — Bay Area Air Quality Management District
  14. Winter Spare the Air season news release (Nov 2019) — Bay Area Air Quality Management District
  15. Bay Area Spare the Air burn ban in place for Monday (27 Jan 2019) — CBS News Bay Area
  16. Why Regi pallu thrown on children on Bhogi? (13 Jan 2025) — Sakshi Post

Request this pooja

Ask Sri Kumar Gurukkal about a pooja for Bhogi — at your home, at a temple, or with family joining remotely. A request is an enquiry, not a booking.

Request a pooja Add 13 Jan 2027 to calendar

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Related festivals

LohriKaanum PongalMauni AmavasyaGudi PadwaNavreh
← Bhai DoojBohag / Rongali Bihu → Full festival calendar

First day of Pongal cycle. The 2026–27 dates were derived for the Fremont / Bay Area location from standard tithi, nakṣatra and solar-ingress rules. The 2028 date is computed by this site’s own engine from a rule a cited source establishes: 1 day before Thai Pongal. No 2028 date has been checked against a printed almanac or reviewed by Sri Kumar Gurukkal. 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 →