Makar Sankranti 2027

What is Makar Sankranti?

Makar Sankranti marks the day the Sun enters the sidereal sign of Makara (Capricorn). Unlike most Hindu festivals, which follow the Moon, it follows the Sun, so it falls on almost the same date every year — 14 or 15 January. It is a harvest festival and a celebration of the Sun's northward journey, Uttarayan, when the days begin to grow longer in India.

The same moment is celebrated under many names: Makar Sankranti in Maharashtra, Karnataka and much of North India, Uttarayan in Gujarat, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Lohri the evening before in Punjab, Magh Bihu (Bhogali Bihu) in Assam, Khichdi in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Poush Sankranti in Bengal and Maghi in Punjab.

Why is Makar Sankranti celebrated?

Sankranti honours Surya, the Sun god, at the turning point of the year. Uttarayan is described in the scriptures as an auspicious half of the year; in the Mahabharata, Bhishma waited on his bed of arrows for Uttarayan before leaving his body. As a harvest festival, it is also a thanksgiving for the new crop of rice, sugarcane, sesame and jaggery — the ingredients of its traditional foods.

How is Makar Sankranti celebrated?

Holy dip and charity

Bathing in a holy river at Sankranti is considered very meritorious. Lakhs of pilgrims bathe at Prayagraj during the Magh Mela and at Gangasagar, where the Ganga meets the sea. Giving daan — sesame, jaggery, rice, blankets and clothes — to those in need is an essential part of the day.

Til and gur

Sesame (til) and jaggery (gur) sweets are made everywhere: til-gul ladoos in Maharashtra, offered with the words "Tilgul ghya, god god bola" — take this sweet and speak sweetly; ellu-bella in Karnataka; tilkut and chura-dahi in Bihar; and gajak and rewri in the North. Khichdi of new rice and lentils gives the festival its name in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Kites

In Gujarat and Rajasthan, Uttarayan means kite-flying from every rooftop, with families on the terraces from dawn to dusk and the sky full of kites; Ahmedabad hosts an international kite festival.

Pongal

In Tamil Nadu, Thai Pongal is a four-day festival: Bhogi (clearing out the old), Surya Pongal (the main day, when rice is boiled with milk and jaggery in a new pot until it overflows, with shouts of "Pongalo Pongal"), Mattu Pongal (honouring cattle) and Kaanum Pongal (visiting family).

How to observe Makar Sankranti at home

• Bathe early, adding a few sesame seeds to the water if you cannot bathe in a river.
• Offer arghya (water) to the rising Sun with red flowers and a little jaggery, reciting the Gayatri or Surya mantra.
• Prepare til-gur sweets and khichdi or Pongal and share them with family and neighbours.
• Give daan of sesame, jaggery, rice, warm clothes or blankets.

The punya kaal — the most auspicious hours — begins at the moment of Sankranti. When the Sun enters Makara after sunset, the festival is observed the next day; the MyPujaWorld date accounts for this.

Makar Sankranti around the world

Families abroad celebrate with til-gul and kite-flying where it is allowed, Pongal at Tamil temples in Singapore, Malaysia, the UK and North America, and Lohri bonfires in Punjabi communities. Because Sankranti is fixed to the solar calendar, the date is the same worldwide, though the exact moment differs with the time zone.