Tap to boil the pot

Pongal

A harvest boiling over, and thanks given to the sun.

A family gathered around a Pongal pot boiling over

The pot boils over, white and sweet, sugarcane stacked beside our feet. For sun and soil and steady rain, we say our thanks and start again. Happy Pongal! 🌾

Pongal wishes with name, in one paragraph

By IndianWishes ·

A Pongal wish with your name on it is an ordinary greeting card with one thing changed: it says who sent it. Type your name on this page and you get a card that opens with “Asha is wishing you Happy Pongal” instead of a forward from nobody in particular. It is free, takes about ten seconds, and there is nothing to sign up for.

What Pongal celebrated

Pongal is Tamil Nadu's harvest festival and its thanksgiving to the sun. The name is the dish and the moment: rice boiled in milk until it rises over the rim of the pot, which is the auspicious part.

When Pongal falls

Four days from 14 or 15 January, following the sun rather than the moon.

Most Indian festivals follow a lunar calendar, so the date moves against the Gregorian one each year. For the official dates, the Government of India holiday calendar is the one to check.

How Pongal is celebrated

  • Bhogi — burning what is old and no longer needed, on the first day
  • Thai Pongal — boiling the pot outdoors and shouting “Pongalo Pongal” as it spills over
  • Mattu Pongal — washing, painting and garlanding the cattle
  • Kaanum Pongal — visiting family, and kolam drawn fresh at every doorway

Tamil Nadu and the Tamil diaspora. The same solar moment is Makar Sankranti in the north and Magh Bihu in Assam.

What people say

Happy Pongal, or Pongalo Pongal.

Putting your name on it

  1. Type your name in the box on this page. First name is enough — no email, no password, no account.
  2. Tap GO. Your card opens with your name at the top, on artwork drawn for Pongal specifically.
  3. Share it. One tap hands it to WhatsApp with the message already written. Whoever opens it lands on this same page with their own name box waiting, so it carries on down the family group without anyone installing anything.

Add your name to a Pongal wish

Straight answers

What does Pongal mean?
It means “to boil over”. The dish, the festival and the moment the milk rises over the pot's rim all carry the same name — and the overflowing is the point, not an accident.
How many days is Pongal?
Four: Bhogi, Thai Pongal, Mattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal, each with its own focus.
Why are cows decorated during Pongal?
Mattu Pongal, the third day, is given to the cattle that did the ploughing. They are washed, their horns painted, and they are garlanded and fed first.
How do I send a Pongal wish with my name on it?
Type your name in the box on this page and tap GO. You get a card that opens with your name on it, and a button that hands the whole thing to WhatsApp. It is free, and there is nothing to sign up for.
Is this Pongal greeting really free?
Yes. No account, no watermark, no upgrade prompt and nothing to install. Your name travels inside the link rather than being stored anywhere.

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