2026 Makar Sankranti · Mumbai

Makar Sankranti marks the Sun's entry into Makara (sidereal Capricorn) and is one of the few Hindu festivals set by the Sun rather than the Moon. In 2026 it fell on Wednesday, 14 January, when the Sun crossed into Makara in the afternoon. People take holy dips, worship Surya, give charity, share sesame sweets and fly kites.

When is Makar Sankranti in 2026, 2027 and 2028?

Because it follows the Sun, Makar Sankranti almost always lands on 14 or 15 January. Which of the two depends on the exact moment of the Sun's ingress (sankranti) and the panchang's rule for when the auspicious period, the punya kaal, can be observed.

Dates are calculated for Mumbai (IST). In 2027 the Sun enters Makara after sunset on 14 January. Because the ingress is after sunset, the panchang keeps the festival and its punya kaal on Friday, 15 January. Some government holiday lists still show Thursday, 14 January.

The date also creeps slowly later over the centuries, because the sidereal zodiac used in Indian astronomy drifts against the solar year, so in the 1800s it came a day or so earlier than it does now.

Significance and story

The Sun turns north

Sankranti means "moving across", and there are twelve each year as the Sun passes from one sign to the next. Makar Sankranti is the most celebrated because it is traditionally linked with Uttarayana, the Sun's northward journey, and with longer, warmer days after winter. The six months of Uttarayana are considered especially auspicious, and the day is seen as a time to let go of darkness and lethargy.

Bhishma's wait

In the Mahabharata, the great warrior Bhishma lay wounded on a bed of arrows after the battle of Kurukshetra. He had the boon of choosing his own time of death, and he waited for Uttarayana to begin before leaving his body. His story is one reason this period is considered sacred.

Ganga meets the sea

At Gangasagar in West Bengal, where the Ganga meets the Bay of Bengal, legend says the river descended to earth and flowed to the sea to free the souls of King Sagara's sixty thousand sons, who had been burned by the sage Kapila. Pilgrims gather there on Makar Sankranti for a holy dip, and the Gangasagar Mela is one of India's largest gatherings.

Father and son

A popular belief says that on this day Surya, the Sun, visits his son Shani, the lord of Makara, setting aside their differences. Sesame and jaggery, both linked with Shani and Surya, are shared as a way to sweeten relationships.

A harvest festival

Across India the day also celebrates the winter harvest of sugarcane, rice and sesame. That is why almost every regional version involves fresh grain, jaggery and gratitude to the Sun, the land and cattle.

How to do Makar Sankranti puja (vidhi)

1. Wake early and bathe, ideally in a holy river, or add a few drops of Ganga jal and some black sesame seeds to your bath water.
2. Wear clean clothes and face east to greet the rising Sun.
3. Fill a copper pot with water and add red flowers, a little kumkum or red sandal, unbroken rice and sesame seeds.
4. Offer this water (arghya) to the Sun in a thin stream while chanting "Om Suryaya Namah", the Gayatri mantra or the Aditya Hridayam.
5. Light a lamp and incense at your home shrine, and offer sesame laddoos, jaggery, khichdi or pongal to Surya.
6. During the punya kaal, give charity (daan): sesame, jaggery, rice and lentils, warm clothes, blankets or food for those in need. Giving on this day is considered especially meritorious.
7. Share til-gul or other sesame sweets with family and neighbours, and spend the afternoon with family, often flying kites.

Regional variations

• Tamil Nadu: Pongal is a four-day harvest festival: Bhogi, when old things are discarded; Thai Pongal, when rice is boiled with milk and jaggery until it overflows; Mattu Pongal, honouring cattle; and Kaanum Pongal, for family outings.
• Gujarat: Uttarayan turns the sky over Ahmedabad and Surat into a sea of kites, with rooftop parties, undhiyu and chikki.
• Punjab and Haryana: Lohri is celebrated with bonfires on the evening before, and Maghi is observed on the day itself.
• Assam: Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu brings community feasts and bonfires of bamboo and hay huts (meji).
• Uttar Pradesh and Bihar: The day is called Khichdi, after the dish offered to the gods and to the poor. Devotees offer khichdi at the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur, and Prayagraj's Magh Mela sees a major bathing day.
• West Bengal: Poush Sankranti is celebrated with pithe, sweet rice cakes made with date-palm jaggery, as well as the Gangasagar Mela.
• Maharashtra: People exchange til-gul with the words "til-gul ghya, god god bola" ("take sesame-jaggery and speak sweetly"), and married women host haldi-kumkum gatherings.
• Karnataka: Families share ellu-bella, a mix of sesame, jaggery, coconut and peanuts, and decorate cattle.
• Andhra Pradesh and Telangana: Sankranti is a three-day festival with Bhogi, Sankranti and Kanuma, rangoli (muggulu) competitions and cockfights in rural areas.
• Kerala: The Makaravilakku festival at Sabarimala draws devotees of Lord Ayyappa on this day.

Frequently asked questions

Updated on 16 October 2026. Dates are calculated for Mumbai (IST); the calculator above gives timings for your city.