About Bhogi
Bhogi is the first day of the Sankranti and Pongal festival in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, kept on the last day of the month of Dhanurmasam or Margazhi. It falls on Thursday, 14 January 2027. Families light a bonfire before dawn and burn old things to make room for the new, clean and decorate the house, and in Telugu homes shower small children with Bhogi pallu in the evening.
Bhogi starts in the dark. Before dawn on the last day of the month, families in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana pile up old mats, broken baskets, worn-out brooms, dry wood and cow-dung cakes at the doorstep or the street corner and set them alight. In Telugu this fire is the Bhogi mantalu. Children are woken for it, and neighbours stand around it until the sun comes up.
The idea behind the fire is a clean break. What has worn out goes into it, and the house is ready for the harvest days that follow. Tamil households sum it up in a saying, "pazhayana kazhithalum puthiyana puguthalum", the discarding of the old and the coming in of the new. Some families also use the fire to let go of grudges and bad habits along with the junk.
Where Bhogi sits in the festival
Bhogi is the first of three or four linked days. In Telugu states it is followed by Sankranti, also called Pedda Panduga, the big festival, then Kanuma, when cattle are decorated and worshipped, and in some families Mukkanuma, a day for family visits. In Tamil Nadu it opens Pongal: Thai Pongal, Mattu Pongal for the cattle and Kaanum Pongal for outings and visits.
It is also the last day of Dhanurmasam, the month in which Vaishnava homes recite Andal's Tiruppavai every morning and which includes Vaikunta Ekadashi. Many Vaishnava temples close the month on Bhogi with Goda Kalyanam, the wedding of Andal, also called Goda Devi, to Ranganatha.
Many families also say Bhogi belongs to Indra, the god of clouds and rain, who is thanked for the rains that made the harvest possible. The next day is for Surya, the Sun, and the day after for the cattle.
How the date is set
Bhogi is the day before the Sun enters the sign of Makara, which is Makar Sankranti in most of India and Thai Pongal in Tamil Nadu. That puts it on 13 or 14 January. When the Sun's entry falls late in the day, most Telugu and Tamil almanacs move Sankranti and Pongal to the next morning, and Bhogi moves with them.
This is why online calendars sometimes disagree. In January 2026, several all-India calendars showed Bhogi on 13 January, while the Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu government holiday lists kept Sankranti and Pongal on 15 January, and so Bhogi on 14 January. If you are planning leave or travel, go by your state's holiday list or the local panchangam.
What families do
| Where | Name | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh and Telangana | Bhogi, Bhogi Panduga | Dawn bonfire, oil bath, new clothes, big rangoli called muggulu in the yard, and Bhogi pallu for small children in the evening |
| Tamil Nadu | Bhogi Pandigai | Dawn bonfire, whitewashing and cleaning, fresh kolam at the door, offerings to the household deity |
| Kongu region of Tamil Nadu | Kappu kattu | Bunches of neem leaves, avaram flowers and poolai flowers tucked into the roof edge and over doors to protect the house |
| Karnataka | Bhogi Habba | The fire and the house cleaning on the eve of Sankranti, in the homes that keep it |
| Maharashtra | Bhogi | No bonfire in most homes; the meal is bajra roti sprinkled with sesame and a mixed vegetable curry |
In Tamil homes the woman of the house often marks the front door frame with turmeric and kumkum at dawn, and the offerings of the day include poli, a sweet flatbread, along with vadai and payasam.
Bhogi pallu
The evening ritual in Telugu homes is for small children. Elders mix regi pallu, small Indian jujube fruits, with flower petals, bits of sugarcane, coins and sometimes jaggery, and pour handfuls over the child's head while relatives sing and bless them. Families say it wards off the evil eye. The other children scramble to collect the coins and fruit, which is half the fun, and relatives and neighbours are invited to watch.
What to write
Mention the fire, the clean house or the child getting Bhogi pallu. If you are writing to someone who keeps the whole festival, one message can cover Bhogi and Sankranti or Pongal together.
Bhogi shubhakankshalu, Amma and Nanna. I hope the fire went up before the milkman came. Keep some ariselu aside for me, I am home for Kanuma.
Happy Bhogi to little Sahasra on her first Bhogi pallu. May she be showered with this much love, and this many coins, all her life.
Happy Bhogi from the other side of the world. No bonfire here, but I cleared out my cupboard this morning and thought of you.
Happy Bhogi to you and your family, and a happy Sankranti tomorrow. Hope the long weekend at home is a good one.
Happy Bhogi. May everything old and tired go into this morning's fire and the new year of Thai bring only good things.
Meeku mee kutumbaniki Bhogi shubhakankshalu. (Bhogi greetings to you and your family.)
- Bhogi mantalu
- The Bhogi bonfire, in Telugu
- Bhogi pallu
- Jujube fruit, petals, sugarcane and coins poured over small children on Bhogi evening
- Regi pallu
- Indian jujube, the small fruit used for Bhogi pallu
- Kappu kattu
- Tying neem, avaram and poolai over doors and roofs, in western Tamil Nadu
- Dhanurmasam, Margazhi
- The solar month that ends on Bhogi, in Telugu and Tamil
- Shubhakankshalu, nalvazhthukkal
- Greetings, good wishes, in Telugu and Tamil
How to wish someone on Bhogi
A Bhogi wish is about clearing out and starting fresh, not about wealth. Mention the dawn fire, the clean house and fresh kolam or muggu, or the Bhogi pallu for a small child in the family. In Telugu, "Bhogi shubhakankshalu" is the usual greeting; in Tamil, "Bhogi pandigai nalvazhthukkal". Bhogi is the start of three or four days, so it is fine to wish someone for Bhogi and Sankranti or Pongal together. Keep the fire in the message, not the smoke: many families now keep a smokeless Bhogi.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Telugu + Tamil and Kannada.
When is Bhogi in each year?
Bhogi is on 14 Jan every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
- 2028
Frequently asked questions
When is Bhogi in 2027?
Bhogi 2027 falls on Thursday, 14 January 2027. The exact date can vary by location and local calendar, so confirm with your community.
Why is Bhogi celebrated before Sankranti and Pongal?
Bhogi is the last day of the month of Dhanurmasam or Margazhi, so it clears the way for the harvest days that follow. Families burn worn-out things in a dawn bonfire and clean the house, and many also say the day honours Indra, the god of rain, before Sankranti or Thai Pongal honours the Sun.
What should and should not be burned in the Bhogi fire?
The traditional fire uses dry wood, dried leaves, cow-dung cakes and old wooden or woven things from the house. Plastic, rubber, tyres and synthetic cloth should stay out, because they give off toxic smoke; the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board campaigns every year for a smokeless Bhogi.
What is Bhogi pallu?
Bhogi pallu is a Telugu custom on Bhogi evening in which elders pour regi pallu, the small Indian jujube, mixed with flower petals, sugarcane pieces and coins over the heads of small children. It is a blessing for their health and is believed to ward off the evil eye.
Is Bhogi on 13 or 14 January?
Bhogi is the day before Makar Sankranti or Thai Pongal, so it falls on 13 January in some years and 14 January in others. When the Sun enters Makara late in the day, Telugu and Tamil calendars push the festival to the next day, so check your state's holiday list.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .