Makar Sankranti · Pongal
The Sun enters Capricorn — kites, til, harvest.
GujaratCelebrated everywherePunjabTamil Nadu
Dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Wednesday, 14 January 2026 |
| 2027 | Friday, 15 January 2027 |
| 2028 | Saturday, 15 January 2028 |
| 2029 | Sunday, 14 January 2029 |
| 2030 | Monday, 14 January 2030 |
| 2031 | Wednesday, 15 January 2031 |
Dates are for Mumbai. A tithi that changes close to sunrise or sunset can fall a day earlier or later in another city, so for your own town open the festival in the app.
When it falls
The day the Sun enters Capricorn. Like every lunar festival it lands on a different Gregorian date each year. Muhurtha works the date out from the positions of the Sun and Moon, using the rule for this festival; see how every festival is dated.
The story
The one festival on the solar calendar: the Sun enters Makara (Capricorn) and starts its northern run, Uttarayan. Bhishma waited for this day to die. It's Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Lohri's morning in Punjab, Magh Bihu in Assam, Uttarayan in Gujarat.
How it is kept
Kites in Gujarat, til-gul sweets in Maharashtra (“eat sweet, speak sweet”), a pot of new rice boiling over for Pongal, khichdi in the North, and a dip at Sangam.
Common questions
When is Makar Sankranti · Pongal in 2027?
In 2027, Makar Sankranti · Pongal falls on Friday, 15 January 2027 in Mumbai. Dates for other years are in the table above.
How is the date of Makar Sankranti · Pongal decided?
The day the Sun enters Capricorn. Like every lunar festival it lands on a different Gregorian date each year. Muhurtha works the date out from the positions of the Sun and Moon, using the rule for this festival; see how every festival is dated.
How is Makar Sankranti · Pongal kept?
Kites in Gujarat, til-gul sweets in Maharashtra (“eat sweet, speak sweet”), a pot of new rice boiling over for Pongal, khichdi in the North, and a dip at Sangam.
Other festivals nearby
Open the Muhurtha app to see Makar Sankranti · Pongal for your own town, with the exact time its tithi begins and ends. How every festival is dated.
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