Tamil Festivals & Food Quiz – Questions with Answers
In Tamil Nadu, festivals and food go hand in hand. Pongal means sweet pongal bubbling over in a new pot, Karthigai Deepam means rows of glowing lamps, and an ordinary morning means idli, sambar and a strong tumbler of filter coffee. This free Tamil festivals and food quiz celebrates all of it. Each question has four options and a short explanation, so you can learn the stories and customs behind the celebrations and dishes you love.
What this quiz covers
- Pongal – the four days of the harvest festival and what each one celebrates.
- Festivals through the Tamil year – Puthandu, Aadi Perukku, Navaratri, Karthigai Deepam, Thaipusam and the Margazhi season.
- Home traditions – kolam, golu dolls and festive meals on a banana leaf.
- Food – everyday favourites like idli, dosa, sambar and rasam, regional specialities, sweets and the famous filter coffee.
A year of celebrations
The Tamil year begins with Puthandu, the Tamil New Year, in the month of Chithirai. In Aadi, families gather on river banks, especially along the Kaveri, for Aadi Perukku, a thanksgiving to rivers and water. Navaratri brings the golu, a display of dolls arranged on steps, and friends visit each other's homes to see it. In Karthigai, homes are lit with lamps, and at Tiruvannamalai a huge flame is lit on top of the Annamalai hill for Karthigai Deepam. Margazhi is the month of early-morning kolams drawn with rice flour and of Chennai's famous music season.
The biggest celebration of all is Pongal. It begins with Bhogi, when old things are discarded, continues with Thai Pongal, when the new rice is cooked until it overflows, moves on to Mattu Pongal, which honours cattle, and ends with Kaanum Pongal, a day for outings and visiting relatives. You can read the full story in our post on the four days of Pongal, also available in Tamil as பொங்கல் பண்டிகை நான்கு நாட்கள்.
Food that tells a story
Tamil food is about balance. Idli and dosa are made from a fermented batter of rice and urad dal; sambar is built on toor dal and vegetables; rasam gets its tang from tamarind. Some towns are famous for a single dish: Tirunelveli for its halwa and Madurai for jigarthanda, a cooling drink. The Chettinad region around Karaikudi is known for its bold, spicy cuisine. And no Tamil kitchen is complete without filter coffee, poured between a tumbler and a dabara to cool it and make it frothy.
Study tips
- Follow the calendar. Learn the Tamil months with the festival that falls in each.
- Remember one custom per festival. Bhogi – bonfire; golu – dolls; Karthigai Deepam – lamps.
- Link dishes to places. Halwa – Tirunelveli; jigarthanda – Madurai; spicy curries – Chettinad.
- Ask the family. Grandparents are the best quiz coaches for this category. You can also swap recipes in district rooms like Madurai or Tirunelveli.
Done here? Try the Tamil Nadu GK quiz or the Tamil Nadu history quiz next.
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All 20 questions with answers
Try to answer before you tap "Show answer".
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Which day of the Pongal festival is marked by discarding old things, often in a bonfire?
- A. Bhogi
- B. Thai Pongal
- C. Mattu Pongal
- D. Kaanum Pongal
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✅ Bhogi
Bhogi is the first day of Pongal. Families clear out old belongings and light a bonfire to welcome the new season.
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Mattu Pongal is dedicated to honouring which animals?
- A. Elephants
- B. Horses
- C. Cattle
- D. Peacocks
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✅ Cattle
On Mattu Pongal, cows and bulls are bathed, their horns painted and decorated, and they are thanked for their help in farming.
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What is the fourth and final day of the Pongal festival called?
- A. Bhogi
- B. Mattu Pongal
- C. Thai Pongal
- D. Kaanum Pongal
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✅ Kaanum Pongal
Kaanum Pongal is the last day of Pongal, when families go on outings and visit relatives and friends.
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At which town is a giant lamp lit on top of a hill for Karthigai Deepam?
- A. Palani
- B. Tiruvannamalai
- C. Madurai
- D. Srirangam
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✅ Tiruvannamalai
For Karthigai Deepam, the Maha Deepam is lit on top of the Annamalai hill at Tiruvannamalai and can be seen from far away.
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Puthandu, the Tamil New Year, falls in which Tamil month?
- A. Thai
- B. Aadi
- C. Chithirai
- D. Karthigai
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✅ Chithirai
Puthandu falls on the first day of Chithirai, the first month of the Tamil calendar, usually in mid-April.
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Aadi Perukku is a festival that gives thanks to what?
- A. Rivers and water
- B. The sun
- C. Cattle
- D. The harvest moon
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✅ Rivers and water
Aadi Perukku is celebrated on the 18th day of Aadi, when families gather on river banks, especially along the Kaveri, to thank rivers for their life-giving water.
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The famous music and dance season in Chennai takes place in which Tamil month?
- A. Chithirai
- B. Aadi
- C. Purattasi
- D. Margazhi
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✅ Margazhi
Chennai's music season is held in Margazhi (mid-December to mid-January), when sabhas host Carnatic music concerts and dance recitals.
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The traditional kolam drawn at house entrances is usually made with what?
- A. Rice flour
- B. Chalk
- C. Turmeric paste
- D. Sand
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✅ Rice flour
Kolams are traditionally drawn with rice flour, which was also seen as a way of sharing food with ants and birds.
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During Navaratri, many Tamil homes arrange dolls on steps. What is this display called?
- A. Kolam
- B. Golu
- C. Thoranam
- D. Rangoli
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✅ Golu
The golu (or kolu) is a display of dolls and figurines arranged on an odd number of steps, and friends visit each other to see it during Navaratri.
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Carrying a kavadi is a highlight of which festival dedicated to Lord Murugan?
- A. Karthigai Deepam
- B. Aadi Perukku
- C. Thaipusam
- D. Puthandu
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✅ Thaipusam
Thaipusam, in the Tamil month of Thai, is dedicated to Murugan, and devotees carry kavadis on pilgrimage to temples such as Palani.
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The Thyagaraja Aradhana music festival is held every year at which town?
- A. Thiruvaiyaru
- B. Kumbakonam
- C. Mylapore
- D. Swamimalai
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✅ Thiruvaiyaru
The Thyagaraja Aradhana is held at Thiruvaiyaru on the banks of the Kaveri, where musicians gather to sing the composer's songs together.
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Jigarthanda, a cooling milk drink, is a speciality of which city?
- A. Chennai
- B. Coimbatore
- C. Salem
- D. Madurai
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✅ Madurai
Jigarthanda is a Madurai favourite made with milk, almond gum, sarsaparilla (nannari) syrup and ice cream.
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Which Tamil Nadu town is famous for its rich, glossy wheat halwa?
- A. Tirunelveli
- B. Kovilpatti
- C. Srivilliputhur
- D. Palani
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✅ Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli halwa, made with wheat, sugar and ghee, is one of the most famous sweets of southern Tamil Nadu.
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Chettinad cuisine comes from the region around which town?
- A. Thanjavur
- B. Erode
- C. Karaikudi
- D. Vellore
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✅ Karaikudi
The Chettinad region around Karaikudi in Sivaganga district is famous for its spicy, aromatic cuisine and its grand mansions.
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South Indian filter coffee is traditionally served in a tumbler along with what?
- A. A kettle
- B. A dabara
- C. A saucer
- D. A kuzhi
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✅ A dabara
Filter coffee is poured back and forth between a tumbler and a wide metal bowl called a dabara to cool it and make it frothy.
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Idli and dosa batter is mainly made from rice and which lentil?
- A. Toor dal
- B. Chana dal
- C. Moong dal
- D. Urad dal
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✅ Urad dal
Idli and dosa are made from a batter of rice and urad dal that is left to ferment, which makes idlis soft and dosas crisp.
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Sambar is mainly made with which lentil?
- A. Urad dal
- B. Toor dal
- C. Masoor dal
- D. Rajma
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✅ Toor dal
Sambar is a lentil stew made with toor dal (pigeon pea), vegetables, tamarind and sambar powder.
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Which sour ingredient gives rasam its tangy taste?
- A. Lemon
- B. Kokum
- C. Tamarind
- D. Vinegar
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✅ Tamarind
Rasam is a thin, peppery soup made with tamarind water, tomato, pepper and cumin, usually eaten with rice.
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Sakkarai pongal, the sweet dish made for Pongal, is traditionally sweetened with what?
- A. Jaggery
- B. Honey
- C. White sugar
- D. Dates
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✅ Jaggery
Sakkarai pongal is cooked with new rice, moong dal, jaggery and ghee, and garnished with cashews, raisins and cardamom.
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Traditional Tamil festive meals are served on what?
- A. Brass plates
- B. Clay pots
- C. Steel trays
- D. A banana leaf
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✅ A banana leaf
Festive Tamil meals are served on a banana leaf, with each dish placed in a set spot from sweets and salt to rice, sambar and payasam.
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