Hindu festival · San Francisco Bay Area
Mattu Pongal
Dates for the Bay Area
- Thursday, 15 January 2026Harvest festival
- Friday, 15 January 2027Harvest festivalnext
- Saturday, 15 January 2028Harvest festival
Why it matters
Māṭṭu Poṅgal, on 2 Tai, is the Tamil day for honouring cattle, which are regarded as partners in ploughing and as household wealth. In Tamil Nadu's official calendar the same date is Tiruvaḷḷuvar Day, which honours the author of the Tirukkuṟaḷ.
Where it falls
Māṭṭu Poṅgal is the day after Tai Poṅgal and falls on the same day as Telugu Kanuma. Both centre on cattle but are distinct regional observances.
The story behind it
The day expresses thanks to cows and bulls for their work in the fields and for milk. The Tiruvaḷḷuvar Day observance grew from a Tamil scholarly movement of the 1930s and was later tied to the Poṅgal season.
Prayers and worship
Tamil farmers and households perform go-pūjā. Cattle are bathed, marked with turmeric and kuṅkumam, garlanded, and honoured with ārati. Temples hold group cow-worship; for example, over a hundred cows were lined up at the Bṛhadīśvara temple in Thanjavur in 2026.
How families keep it
Cattle horns are painted and capped, and bells and beads are tied on before village processions. In many Tamil families women perform kaṇu piḍi on this day, setting coloured rice on turmeric leaves for crows and praying for their brothers. In some districts jallikaṭṭu bull events are held.
What is typically offered
Cattle are fed sakkarai poṅgal, sugarcane, bananas and jaggery. Families who keep kaṇu piḍi set out small portions of turmeric- and kuṅkumam-coloured rice and the previous day's poṅgal for birds.
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 (14)
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.
- Pongal (festival) — Wikipedia
- What is Pongal? (Pongal interactive learning portal) — Indian Heritage Centre, National Heritage Board (Singapore)
- TN celebrates 'Mattu Pongal', pays tribute to cattle (16 Jan 2026) — The Week (PTI)
- Tamil Nadu govt issues 2026 public holiday list with 24 declared holidays — The News Minute
- Full list of Tamil Nadu public holidays 2026 (13 Nov 2025) — The Week
- Thiruvalluvar Day — Wikipedia
- Pongalo Pongal (Jan/Feb/Mar 2023, By Young Writers) — Hinduism Today
- When is Kanuma Panduga, how Telugus celebrate Kanuma in AP, Telangana (Jan 2022) — Sakshi Post
- Why does the Tamil New Year change with the ruling party in the state? (Vinita Govindarajan, 14 Apr 2017) — Scroll.in
- Mattu Pongal festival celebrated across Tamil Nadu (16 Jan 2026) — LatestLY (ANI)
- Mattu Pongal — Wikipedia
- Tamil Nadu: Tributes paid to cattle on Mattu Pongal Day (16 Jan 2026) — DT Next
- Kanu Pongal is a love letter to rice (Deepa Natarajan Lobo, 11 Jan 2023) — GOYA
- Press note: Pongal and Tamil New Year celebrations at Tamil Nadu House, New Delhi (2009) — Government of Tamil Nadu
Request this pooja
Ask Sri Kumar Gurukkal about a pooja for Mattu Pongal — at your home, at a temple, or with family joining remotely. A request is an enquiry, not a booking.
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Subscribe to the festival calendar Share on WhatsAppSecond/third 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 after 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 →