Pongal Date is the winter solstice in the Hindu
solar calendar. The passing of the sun into the sign Capricorn marks it.
Pongal is celebrated on this date itself and also to celebrate the
coming of spring. There are several ways of calculating the Hindu solar
calendar, so Pongal date may vary by up to one day in various parts of
India depending whether local custom dictates the use of the old or new
Hindu calendar or astronomical tables. Pongal or Thai Pongal is also
called Makara Sankaranthi, since it is celebrated on the first day of
Thai when the Sun enters the Makara Rasi (Capricornus). This signals the
end of winter and the onset of spring throughout the northern
hemisphere. For the next six months, the days are longer and warmer.
As the day of Pongal celebration is decided according to the solar
calendar, the Pongal date remains the same every year. Following are the
date on which the four days of Pongal are celebrated:
