Bhogi Pandigai is celebrated in the Southern states of India as the first day of the four-day harvest festival of Pongal. It is the day of discarding everything that is old and thus bringing new fortune and prosperity into people's lives. On the day of Bhogi Pandigai, people get up early in the morning, usually before dawn and light a bonfire known as ‘Bhogi Mantalu’ with wood and other solid fuels. It falls on the last day of Agrahayaṇa or Margasirṣa month of the Hindu Solar Calendar. This year, Bhogi Pandigai 2023 will be celebrated on Saturday, January 14, 2023. It is a festival celebrated widely in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. The four days of the Pongal festival are called Bhogi Pandigai, Pedda Panduga, Mattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal. As we prepare to celebrate Bhogi Pandigai 2023, here is everything you need to know about Bhogi Pandigai 2023 date, observance, the significance of the festival and more. Pongal 2023 Full Calendar With Dates of Bhogi, Thai Pongal, Mattu Pongal and Kanum Pongal.

When is Bhogi 2023?

Bhogi Pandigai 2023 will be celebrated on January 13, a day before Makar Sankranti. The Bhogi celebration begins in the evening when people clean their homes and get rid of all the old things. People then start bonfires where they discard the old stuff that is no longer needed and begin the new year with new hope and positivity. In 2023, the Bhogi Sankranti Moment will be at 8:57 pm on January 13. When Is Bhogi 2023? Know Celebratory Rituals, Timing, Significance and More About the First Day of the 4-Day Pongal Festival.

Rituals and Celebrations

Bhogi Pandigai is celebrated on the last day of the Tamil month of Margazhi, i.e., during Makar Sankranti, when the sun changes its position from the south to the northern hemisphere. According to the English calendar, it falls between January 13-16. In the southern states, Sankranti is celebrated for four days. The main aim of Bhogi Pandigai celebrations is to throw away and burn old stuff to bring in spiritual bhogam (prosperity) into the house. Women decorate the houses with beautiful kolam (rangoli) made of rice flour and flowers. Later, puja is performed where ‘Bholi’ (battercake with lentil or coconut filling prepared with jaggery) is offered to the almighty as naivedhyam. The festival is marked by rural sports activities like kite flying, cock fights, and bullfighting. Certain rituals are followed during each of the four days, and those days are known as follows:

Day 1 - Bhogi, which is also known as Bhogi Pandigai.

Day 2 - Makar Sankranti, which is known as Pedda Panduga in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and Pongal in Tamil Nadu.

Day 3 - Kanuma Panduga in Andhra Pradesh and Mattu Pongal in Tamil Nadu.

Day 4 - Mukkanuma in Andhra Pradesh and Kaanum Pongal in Tamil Nadu.

According to tradition, the Pongal festival marks the end of the winter solstice and the start of the sun's six-month-long journey northwards when the sun enters Capricorn. This is also called Uttarayana. The term ‘Pongal’ means ‘to boil’ and refers to the traditional dish prepared from the new harvest of rice boiled in milk with jaggery.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 12, 2023 01:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).