About Makar Sankranti
Makar Sankranti marks the moment the Sun enters Makara rashi (sidereal Capricorn). Unlike most Hindu festivals, it follows the solar calendar rather than the lunar one, which is why it stays nearly steady from year to year. Traditionally it is associated with the beginning of Uttarayana, the Sun's northward journey, and is seen as a time of growing light, fresh harvests and auspicious beginnings.
The festival takes many forms across India. Tamil Nadu celebrates Pongal, Assam has Magh Bihu, Punjab marks Maghi, and Gujarat and Rajasthan fill the sky with kites for Uttarayan. In Uttar Pradesh and Bihar it is often called Khichdi, while in Maharashtra people exchange tilgul with the words "tilgul ghya, god god bola", asking one another to speak sweetly. Many take a holy dip in rivers such as the Ganga, especially at Prayagraj and Gangasagar, and giving to others, whether grain, warm clothes or sesame sweets, is considered especially meritorious on this day.
How it is observed
- Taking an early bath, and a holy dip in a river where possible
- Offering water and prayers to Surya, the Sun
- Preparing and sharing sweets made of sesame and jaggery
- Giving grain, khichdi, blankets or warm clothes to those in need
- Flying kites with family in Gujarat, Rajasthan and nearby regions
Makar Sankranti dates in past and coming years
| Year | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Monday, 15 January 2024 | Past |
| 2025 | Tuesday, 14 January 2025 | Past |
| 2026 | Wednesday, 14 January 2026 | Past |
| 2027 | Friday, 15 January 2027 | Next |
| 2028 | Saturday, 15 January 2028 | Upcoming |
| 2029 | Sunday, 14 January 2029 | Upcoming |
| 2030 | Monday, 14 January 2030 | Upcoming |
Dates are calculated from the Panchang for New Delhi. Some regions may observe a day earlier or later.
Across India
Celebrated across India
The same season is marked in many ways. Where a region keeps the festival on a different day, its calculated date is shown.
Tamil Nadu, Puducherry
Pongal
Sankranti is celebrated as Thai Pongal, when rice is boiled with milk and jaggery until it overflows, as thanks to the Sun for the harvest. The Tamil calendar sets the day by its own rule.
Date: Friday, 15 January 2027
Assam
Magh Bihu (Bhogali Bihu)
The harvest feast begins with Uruka, a night of community meals in bamboo huts called bhelaghar, followed by the burning of the Meji bonfire. The Assamese calendar reckons the day itself, so it can be a day apart.
Gujarat
Uttarayan
Rooftops fill with kite flyers from morning to evening, and families enjoy undhiyu and chikki. Ahmedabad hosts a well-known international kite festival.
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar
Khichdi
People bathe in the Ganga, donate rice, lentils and sesame, and eat khichdi with curd and chura. At the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur devotees offer khichdi to the deity.
Punjab
Maghi
Coming the day after Lohri, Maghi is marked by a holy dip and a large fair at Sri Muktsar Sahib.
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana
Til-gul, Ellu-bella, Sankranti
In Maharashtra people share til-gul saying "speak sweetly"; in Karnataka families exchange ellu-bella, and the Telugu states celebrate a three-day festival with rangoli and kite flying.
Known by different names across India, including Pongal, Magh Bihu, Maghi, Uttarayan and Khichdi.
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