Makar Sankranti

A solar festival

Most Hindu festivals follow the moon, which is why their dates move each year. Makar Sankranti follows the sun: it is the day the Sun enters the sidereal sign of Makara (Capricorn). Because of this it falls on almost the same date every year — 14 January, or 15 January when the transit happens late in the day. Over centuries the date drifts slowly later. For the exact moment of the transit and the punya kaal (the auspicious window for bathing and charity), see the Panchang.

Makar Sankranti dates in 2026 and 2027

Dates below are for New Delhi, from Drik Panchang.

Year	Makar Sankranti
2026	Wednesday, 14 January
2027	Friday, 15 January

When the Sun's transit takes place after sunset, the festival and its punya kaal move to the next day, which is why some years fall on the 15th.

Uttarayan and the end of Kharmas

Makar Sankranti marks the beginning of Uttarayan, the Sun's northward course, which tradition treats as the auspicious half of the year, the "day of the gods". (Astronomically the Sun turns north at the winter solstice around 21 December; the festival follows the sidereal zodiac, so the two have drifted apart.) The Mahabharata tells how Bhishma, lying on his bed of arrows, waited for Uttarayan before giving up his life. The day also ends Kharmas, the month when the Sun is in Sagittarius and weddings and other new beginnings are avoided, so the wedding season resumes. A popular belief adds that on this day Surya visits his son Shani, lord of Makara, and the two make peace.

What people do

1. Holy dip: bathe at dawn, in the Ganga or another river if possible, during the punya kaal.
2. Offer arghya to the Sun: water with red flowers, rice and a little jaggery, facing east. See the Surya arghya method; the Aditya Hridaya Stotra and Om Jai Surya Bhagwan are commonly recited.
3. Til and gud: sesame and jaggery are eaten and given away as laddoos, chikki or rewri. They warm the body in the cold month, and sharing them is a sign of sweetness between people — in Maharashtra, with the words tilgul ghya, god god bola: "take til-gul and speak sweetly".
4. Daan: charity is considered especially meritorious: sesame, jaggery, rice, khichdi, blankets and warm clothes.
5. Remembering the ancestors: many offer water with black sesame (tilanjali) to their forefathers after the bath, since a Sankranti is one of the traditional days for tarpan.

The Magh Mela and Ganga Sagar

Makar Sankranti is one of the great bathing days of the year. At Prayagraj it falls during the month-long Magh Mela at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the hidden Saraswati, where kalpvasis live on the riverbank through the month of Magh in prayer and simple living; in a Kumbh year the crowds run into crores. At Ganga Sagar, on Sagar Island in West Bengal where the Ganga meets the Bay of Bengal, lakhs of pilgrims bathe and visit the temple of Kapil Muni. The story behind it is that of King Bhagiratha, who brought the Ganga down to earth so that her waters could reach the ashes of his ancestors, the sixty thousand sons of Sagara, at this spot; the saying goes "sab tirath baar baar, Ganga Sagar ek baar", "all other pilgrimages again and again, Ganga Sagar once".

One festival, many names

• Uttar Pradesh and Bihar — Khichdi: khichdi of new rice and lentils is cooked, offered and given away; at the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur, devotees offer khichdi to Baba Gorakhnath.
• Gujarat — Uttarayan: the sky fills with kites from dawn to dusk, and Ahmedabad hosts an international kite festival; undhiyu and chikki are eaten.
• Tamil Nadu — Pongal: a four-day harvest festival: Bhogi, Thai Pongal (the day of the Sankranti, when new rice is boiled in milk until it overflows), Mattu Pongal for the cattle, and Kaanum Pongal.
• Punjab — Lohri and Maghi: Lohri bonfires are lit on the eve, and Maghi is celebrated on the day itself.
• Assam — Magh Bihu (Bhogali Bihu): a harvest feast with community bonfires (meji).
• West Bengal — Poush Sankranti: pithe sweets are made, and lakhs of pilgrims bathe at Ganga Sagar, where the Ganga meets the sea, near the temple of Kapil Muni.
• Kerala — Makaravilakku: the evening of Makar Sankranti is the culmination of the Sabarimala pilgrimage.
• Karnataka — Sankranti: families exchange ellu-bella, a mix of sesame, jaggery, coconut and groundnuts, with the words "eat ellu-bella and speak good words"; in villages, decorated cattle are led over a small fire.
• Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — Sankranthi: a three-day festival of Bhogi, Sankranthi and Kanuma, with large rangoli (muggulu) at every door, decorated bulls (gangireddu) and the singing Haridasus going from house to house.

Flying kites safely

Kites have no scriptural role in Makar Sankranti, but they are part of its joy in Gujarat, Rajasthan and beyond. Use cotton string rather than nylon or glass-coated "Chinese" manja, which is banned in many states because it injures people on two-wheelers and kills thousands of birds every year. Fly kites from terraces with railings, keep children away from roof edges and power lines, and avoid the early morning and evening hours when birds are most active.

Frequently asked questions

When is Makar Sankranti in 2027?

On Friday, 15 January 2027 in New Delhi. In 2026 it fell on 14 January.

Why does Makar Sankranti fall on the same date every year?

Because it follows the sun, not the moon. It is the day the Sun enters sidereal Capricorn, which happens on 14 or 15 January.

Why are til and gud eaten on Makar Sankranti?

Sesame and jaggery warm the body in winter, and exchanging them is a sign of goodwill. Giving sesame in charity is also considered meritorious on this day.

What is Uttarayan?

The Sun's northward course, which tradition counts from Makar Sankranti and regards as the auspicious half of the year.

Does Kharmas end on Makar Sankranti?

Yes. Kharmas lasts while the Sun is in Sagittarius and ends when it enters Capricorn, so weddings and other auspicious work resume.

Are Pongal and Lohri the same as Makar Sankranti?

They are regional forms of the same solar harvest festival. Lohri is celebrated on the eve, and Pongal over four days around it.

What should be donated on Makar Sankranti?

Sesame, jaggery, rice, khichdi, blankets and warm clothes are the traditional gifts.

Why is khichdi eaten on Makar Sankranti?

Because the festival marks the new harvest: khichdi of new rice and lentils is cooked, offered to the Sun and given in charity, especially in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where the day itself is called Khichdi.

Why is Ganga Sagar visited on Makar Sankranti?

Because tradition holds that the Ganga reached the sea and the ashes of King Sagara's sons at this spot, near Kapil Muni's ashram. A bath there on Makar Sankranti is considered especially meritorious.