Quick facts
- Date
- Friday, 15 January 2027
- Sun enters Makara
- 9:06 PM, 14 Jan 2027 (IST)
- Why 14 or 15 January?
- Some calendars list 14 Jan, the day the Sun enters. Because that happens after sunset, the bath and charity (punya kaal) fall on the morning of 15 Jan, which is the date most holiday lists use.
- Sunrise · Sunset (New Delhi)
- 7:15 AM · 5:46 PM
- Vikram Samvat
- 2083 (Gujarati: 2083)
Dates
| Year | Date | Hindu date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Friday, 15 January 2027 | Sun enters Makara | Open in calendar |
Dates are for New Delhi. Dates that have already passed are not listed. Later years are added once they have been checked.
About Makar Sankranti
Makar Sankranti marks the day the Sun enters Makara (Capricorn) in the sidereal zodiac, the start of Uttarayana, the Sun’s northward journey. Unlike most Hindu festivals it follows the Sun and not the Moon, so it falls on 14 or 15 January almost every year.
It is celebrated as Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Lohri on the eve in Punjab, Magh Bihu in Assam, and Uttarayan in Gujarat, where kite flying fills the sky. Bathing in a river, giving charity and eating til (sesame) and jaggery sweets are common everywhere.
How the date is decided
The festival is tied to the exact moment the Sun enters Makara. When that moment falls after sunset, the religious observance (punya kaal) is held on the next morning, so calendars list either the day of the Sun’s entry or the day after. Both dates are shown here when they differ.
How it is observed
- Take a ritual bath, ideally in a river, and offer water to the Sun.
- Donate food, sesame, jaggery or clothes during the punya kaal.
- Eat sesame and jaggery sweets (tilgul, laddoo) and fly kites where it is the custom.
Puja vidhi: how to do the puja
- Bathe early, in a river if you can; Ganga Sagar and Prayag are especially sought.
- Offer arghya to the Sun from a copper lota with water, red flowers, akshat and a little jaggery.
- Give til (sesame), jaggery, khichdi and warm blankets in charity.
- Eat til-gud laddoos and khichdi, and share them with neighbours.
- Fly kites, as in Gujarat and Rajasthan; the same day is Pongal, Lohri's morning-after, Magh Bihu and Uttarayan in other regions.
Puja samagri checklist
Tick things off as you gather them; your list is kept on this device.
Katha: The Sun turns north
On Makar Sankranti the Sun enters Makara, the sign of its son Shani, and the father is said to visit the son, putting aside old differences, which is why sweets of sesame and jaggery are shared with the words "eat sweet, speak sweet".
The day begins the auspicious half of the year (Uttarayan in tradition). Bhishma, lying on his bed of arrows, waited for it before leaving his body, and it is said that the Ganga, following Bhagiratha, reached the sea at Ganga Sagar on this day.
Mantra: Surya mantra
Read it in Roman letters
Recited while offering arghya (water) to the rising Sun. Words vary slightly between families.
Makar Sankranti 2027 in other cities
| City | Date | Compared with New Delhi |
|---|---|---|
| New Delhi | Friday, 15 January 2027 | same as New Delhi |
| London | Thursday, 14 January 2027 | 1 day earlier |
| New York | Thursday, 14 January 2027 | 1 day earlier |
| Toronto | Thursday, 14 January 2027 | 1 day earlier |
| Sydney | Friday, 15 January 2027 | same as New Delhi |
| Dubai | Friday, 15 January 2027 | same as New Delhi |
| Singapore | Friday, 15 January 2027 | same as New Delhi |
| Johannesburg | Thursday, 14 January 2027 | 1 day earlier |
Frequently asked questions
When is Makar Sankranti in 2027?
Makar Sankranti 2027 falls on Friday, 15 January 2027 (New Delhi). The Sun enters Makara at 9:06 PM IST on 14 Jan.
Why is Makar Sankranti almost always on 14 or 15 January?
Because it follows the Sun, not the Moon. The Sun enters Makara at about the same point in the year, and the date shifts by a day only every few years to allow for leap years and the slow drift of the zodiac.
Is Makar Sankranti on the same day everywhere?
Not always. In London, New York, Toronto, Johannesburg the date differs from New Delhi, because tithis are read at local sunrise or sunset and these places are many hours away from India. Use the city table above, or the calendar with your own location.