Why Worship Cattle on Mattu Pongal 2027?

When the Silent Partners of the Fields Take Centre Stage

On the second morning of the month of Thai, the villages of Tamil Nadu present a very different sight. Courtyards are decorated with kolam patterns, the air carries the fragrance of turmeric and jaggery and in front of every home stand cows, bulls and calves, freshly bathed and beautifully adorned. Their horns shine with bright colours, bells and flower garlands hang around their necks and kumkum marks their foreheads. This day is Mattu Pongal, dedicated to the animals without whom farming cannot even be imagined.

In 2027, Mattu Pongal will be celebrated on Saturday, 16 January. It is the third day of the four day Pongal festival and the second day of the month of Thai in the Tamil solar calendar.

Detail	Information
Name of the festival	Mattu Pongal
Date	16 January 2027
Day	Saturday
Tamil month	Second day of the month of Thai
Basis of the calendar	Solar calendar
Lunar month and fortnight	Paush month, Shukla Paksha (waxing fortnight)
Lunar tithi	Ashtami (eighth lunar day)
Position of the Sun	Capricorn (Makar)
Sunrise in Chennai	Approximately 6:35 in the morning
Sunset in Chennai	Approximately 6:05 in the evening
Rahu Kaal (Chennai)	Approximately 9:25 to 10:55 in the morning
Best time for worship	After sunrise and before Rahu Kaal

Mattu Pongal follows the solar calendar, so it has no separate lunar muhurat. By tradition, the worship of cattle is performed in the morning after bathing. On Saturday, Rahu Kaal falls in the morning, so it is best to begin the worship soon after sunrise. Check the local Panchang for exact timings.

Main Rituals at a Glance

• Bathing cows, bulls and calves at dawn
• Painting the horns and fitting them with brass caps or coloured cloth
• Tying bells, flower garlands and new ropes around their necks
• Applying turmeric and kumkum on the foreheads of the animals
• Cooking sweet pongal in front of the animals and offering it to them
• Performing aarti and walking around the animals
• The ritual of Kanu Pidi, in which coloured rice is offered to birds
• Jallikattu in some regions, held under regulations

The Four Days of Pongal and the Place of Mattu Pongal

Pongal is the greatest harvest festival of Tamil Nadu. It lasts four days and each day carries its own meaning. Together the four days form a complete journey of gratitude, beginning with letting go of the old, then thanking the Sun, then the animals and finally the family and society.

Day	Festival	Date in 2027	Main spirit
First day	Bhogi	14 January, Thursday	Discarding old things, worship of Indra Dev
Second day	Thai Pongal	15 January, Friday	Worship of Surya Dev, pongal of new rice
Third day	Mattu Pongal	16 January, Saturday	Worship of cows and bulls
Fourth day	Kaanum Pongal	17 January, Sunday	Visiting family, outings, social bonding

On Thai Pongal the Sun is thanked, because his energy ripens the harvest. But the Tamil farmer also knows that the grace of the Sun alone is not enough. The bulls that plough the fields, the cows that give milk and the animals whose dung enriches the soil are equally great partners. That is why these silent partners are honoured on the very next day after Sun worship. "Mattu" is a Tamil word meaning cattle, especially cows and bulls.

There is a well known Tamil saying, "Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum". It means that when the month of Thai is born, a new path is born. Mattu Pongal is the day to honour the very foundation of that new path.

What Is the Legend of Mattu Pongal?

A very interesting story is linked to Mattu Pongal. It is said that Lord Shiva once sent his mount Nandi to earth with a message for human beings. They were to take an oil massage and bathe every day and eat only once a month. Nandi came to earth but made a mistake while delivering the message. He told human beings to eat every day and bathe once a month.

When Lord Shiva learned of this, he was displeased. He told Nandi that human beings would now need food every day and to grow so much grain they would have to work very hard. So Nandi would now have to live on earth and help human beings plough their fields. Since then, bulls have worked in the fields alongside the farmer.

It would be wrong to see this story only as a tale of punishment. Its deeper meaning is that human food rests on the labour of others. Nandi, who is closest to Shiva himself, descends to earth and pulls the plough for humankind. When a farmer worships the bull on Mattu Pongal, he is truly bowing to that divine service.

The Vedic Place of the Cow

In the Vedic tradition the cow is considered supremely sacred. The scriptures say "Gavo Vishvasya Matarah", meaning the cow is the mother of the entire universe. Kamadhenu, who emerged from the churning of the ocean, is regarded as the divine cow who fulfils all wishes. According to the Puranas, many deities reside in the body of the cow. The Gopala form of Lord Krishna also reflects this tradition, in which serving the cow is regarded as serving God himself.

The bull is also considered a symbol of dharma. In the Shrimad Bhagavatam, dharma is shown as a bull with four legs, which are tapa (austerity), shaucha (purity), daya (compassion) and satya (truth). In this light, worshipping the bull on Mattu Pongal is also a tribute to the four pillars of dharma.

The Puja Vidhi of Mattu Pongal

The worship of Mattu Pongal is performed in the courtyard or the cattle shed. The whole family takes part and children help with special enthusiasm in decorating the animals.

1. Wake before sunrise, bathe and wear clean clothes.
2. Bathe the cows, bulls and calves thoroughly in a river, pond or at home.
3. Clean the cattle shed and draw a kolam in the courtyard.
4. Paint the horns of the animals. In many places brass caps are fitted on the horns.
5. Tie bells, garlands of flowers and mango leaves and new ropes around their necks.
6. Apply turmeric and kumkum on the foreheads and bodies of the animals.
7. Near the cattle shed, cook sweet pongal with milk, new rice and jaggery in a new clay pot. When the pongal boils over, the family calls out "Pongalo Pongal", a symbol of overflowing prosperity.
8. Offer the pongal first to Lord Ganesha and then to the animals.
9. Feed the animals bananas, sugarcane, jaggery and green fodder.
10. Perform aarti for the animals with a lamp or camphor and walk around them.
11. After the worship, many households lead the animals around the village.

Items Used in the Worship

Item	Use
Turmeric and kumkum	For the tilak on the foreheads of the animals
Colours or paint	For decorating the horns
Bells and garlands	For adorning the animals
New rice, milk and jaggery	For cooking sweet pongal
Bananas and sugarcane	For feeding the animals
Camphor and lamp	For the aarti
Mango leaves	For door hangings and garlands

Mantras for the Worship

Mantra	Meaning	Purpose	Count
Om Surabhyai Namah	Salutations to Surabhi, the divine cow	Grace of Gau Mata and prosperity	108 times
Om Nandikeshvaraya Namah	Salutations to Nandikeshvara, Lord Nandi	Blessings of Nandi and Lord Shiva	108 times
Om Gam Ganapataye Namah	Salutations to Lord Ganapati	An auspicious start to the worship	11 times

What Is Kanu Pidi?

On the morning of Mattu Pongal, the women of the house perform a beautiful ritual called Kanu Pidi. The rice from the pongal cooked the previous day is mixed with turmeric, kumkum, curd and jaggery and shaped into small balls of different colours. These are placed on turmeric leaves on the terrace or in the courtyard so that crows and other birds can eat them.

Sisters perform this ritual for the long life and prosperity of their brothers. It can be understood in the same spirit as Bhai Dooj in North India. Feeding the birds also shows that the joy of the festival is not limited to human beings. In Hindu tradition the crow is also regarded as a messenger of the ancestors, so this ritual carries a sense of reverence for forefathers as well.

The Tradition of Jallikattu

Around Mattu Pongal, Jallikattu is held in many villages of Tamil Nadu. It is an ancient sport in which young men try to hold on to the hump of a running bull for a certain distance. The events at Alanganallur, Palamedu and Avaniyapuram near Madurai are especially famous.

"Jalli" means coins and "Kattu" means to tie. In ancient times a bundle of coins was tied to the horns of the bull and the young man who could retrieve it was declared the winner. The sport is a symbol of courage and is also linked to the tradition of preserving native breeds of bulls. Today Jallikattu is held only under legal regulations and animal welfare standards, so that neither the animal nor the human being comes to harm.

The Astrological Significance of Mattu Pongal

On Mattu Pongal the Sun is in Capricorn. Capricorn is the sign of Saturn and in astrology Saturn is the significator of labour, service, farmers, workers and beasts of burden. The bull, who pulls heavy loads in the field all year without complaint, is a living symbol of Saturn's qualities. So serving bulls and cows while the Sun is in Capricorn can be regarded as an act that pleases Saturn.

In 2027 this alignment is even more special, because Mattu Pongal falls on a Saturday. The day of Saturn, the Sun in the sign of Saturn and the worship of working animals all come together. For those whose horoscope shows Shani's Sade Sati, Dhaiya or Shani Mahadasha, serving animals, feeding them fodder and helping cattle keepers on this day will be considered very auspicious.

In astrological tradition, feeding a cow is regarded as a simple remedy for calming several planets.

Planet	Remedy related to serving cows
Sun	Feeding jaggery to a cow
Moon	Feeding rice or something made from milk to a cow
Mercury	Feeding green fodder to a cow
Venus	Serving a white cow
Saturn	Feeding bread and fodder to a black cow or bull
Rahu and Ketu	Arranging food and water for animals

On this day the Moon will be on the Ashtami of the waxing fortnight. The waxing fortnight is a time of growing light, which signals growth and new beginnings. Banada Ashtami and Masik Durgashtami also fall on the same day. Goddess Shakambhari is the giver of food and Mattu Pongal is the festival of the animals who help grow that food. In this way, the whole of 16 January 2027 is filled with the spirit of food, nature and gratitude.

Benefits of Celebrating Mattu Pongal

• Blessings for the health and growth of livestock
• The belief in prosperity in farming and milk production
• Relief from troubles connected with Saturn
• Love within the family, especially sweetness between brothers and sisters
• Growth of compassion towards nature and living beings
• Instilling respect for animals in children

The Message of Mattu Pongal Today

Today many people live in cities, where there are neither fields nor cattle sheds. So it is natural to ask how a city dweller can celebrate Mattu Pongal. The answer is simple. The essence of this festival is gratitude towards animals and that gratitude can be expressed anywhere.

• Visit a nearby gaushala (cow shelter) and donate fodder or jaggery
• Leave water and food for street animals
• Support an animal hospital or animal welfare organisation
• Tell children the story of this festival and take them to a gaushala
• Keep grain and water for birds on the terrace

From a psychological point of view too, the festival is deeply meaningful. When a person thanks a being that asks for nothing in return, humility is born within. In modern life, where everything is weighed by use and profit, Mattu Pongal teaches that honouring those who serve us is also dharma.

Dos and Donts

Do	Do not
Bathe and decorate animals with love	Do not apply harmful chemical colours on animals
Feed them plenty of fodder and jaggery	Do not beat or frighten animals
Worship after sunrise and before Rahu Kaal	Do not make animals do heavy work on this day
Offer Kanu Pidi to birds	Do not waste food
Donate to a gaushala	Do not take part in sports that are cruel to animals

When Gratitude Rings in the Sound of Bells

On the evening of Mattu Pongal, when the decorated bulls walk through the village lanes and the bells around their necks ring, that sound is not only the sound of celebration. It is the sound of the gratitude a farmer offers his companion. On Saturday, 16 January 2027, when the Sun will be in Capricorn and the Moon will be growing in its waxing fortnight, celebrating this festival with a sincere heart can bring stability, prosperity and compassion into life. The earth never leaves empty the hand that feeds an animal.

FAQ

When is Mattu Pongal 2027?
Mattu Pongal 2027 will be celebrated on Saturday, 16 January. It is the third day of the four day Pongal festival and the second day of the Tamil month of Thai.

Who is worshipped on Mattu Pongal?
Cows, bulls and calves are worshipped on this day. They are bathed, decorated, marked with tilak and fed sweet pongal.

What is the story of Mattu Pongal?
According to the legend, Nandi delivered Lord Shiva's message wrongly and so he had to live on earth and help human beings plough their fields.

What is Kanu Pidi?
In Kanu Pidi, women shape coloured rice balls, offer them to birds and pray for the long life of their brothers.

What is the astrological significance of Mattu Pongal?
On this day the Sun is in Capricorn, the sign of Saturn and in 2027 the day is also a Saturday. So serving animals is considered an auspicious act that pleases Saturn.