Tamil Nadu School Holidays: Schools across Tamil Nadu will remain closed for three consecutive days due to Pongal and other associated festivals. Classes across the state will be suspended from January 15 to January 17, 2026. Pongal is a traditional harvest festival celebrated when crops such as sugarcane, turmeric and rice are harvested. It honours the Sun God, marks the end of winter, and coincides with other harvest festivals across the country, including Makar Sankranti and Bihu.
The holidays have been announced by the Government of Tamil Nadu and are listed as public holidays in the official yearly holiday calendar.
Tamil Nadu School Holiday Breakdown
January 15 Holiday
Thai Pongal will begin at 3:13 pm on January 14. A holiday has been declared on January 15 in view of Pongal celebrations. January 14 may also be declared a holiday by some schools or may have shortened class hours. The word 'Pong' in Tamil means to boil or spill over, which is why the day is celebrated by cooking milk and rice in a decorated earthen pot until it overflows.
January 16 Holiday
January 16 is marked as a holiday in the state's annual academic calendar to commemorate the birth anniversary of Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar. Recently, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched a 45-episode Sign Language interpretation series of the Tirukkural, authored by Thiruvalluvar. Along with this, the minister also released 41 literary works and 13 titles on classical languages. He stated that Indian languages act as a unifying force and reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's view that all Indian languages are national languages.
January 17 Holiday
January 17 has been declared a holiday in view of Uzhavar Thirunal, a festival dedicated to honouring farmers and expressing gratitude for their contributions.
The pongal festival runs for four days and this year, it begins on January 14 and completes on January 17. The four days of the Pongal festival are known as Bhogi Pongal, Surya Pongal, Mattu Pongal, and Kaanum Pongal.
The first day is marked by cleaning homes and discarding unused items. The second day is dedicated to Sun worship and the preparation of the traditional dish Sakkarai Pongal. The third day focuses on cattle worship, while the fourth day is primarily for family gatherings and the festive meal, Pongal Bhojanam, prepared using freshly harvested grains.