Makar Sankranti 2026
The sun's northward turn — harvest, gratitude and new light.
ℹ️ A solar (sankranti) festival, so the date is nearly fixed — Jan 14 (occasionally 15). Known as Pongal, Lohri, Uttarayan and Bihu regionally.
🔔 Set a reminder
Add Makar Sankranti to your calendar with a reminder one day before so you never miss it.
Share this festival
Festival overview
Makar Sankranti marks the sun's transition into Capricorn (Makara) and the start of its northward journey (Uttarayana). One of the few solar festivals, it falls on a near-fixed date and is celebrated across India as a harvest festival — Pongal in the South, Lohri in Punjab, Uttarayan in Gujarat (with kite-flying) and Bihu in Assam.
History & origin
The festival honours Surya, the sun god, and the lengthening of days. In the Mahabharata, Bhishma chose to leave his body during Uttarayana, considered the most auspicious time for departure — underlining the period's sacredness.
Spiritual significance
Uttarayana is the "path of light". The Gita itself associates this northward journey of the sun with the auspicious path of the soul. Makar Sankranti is a turning toward light, gratitude and renewal.
Religious significance
Holy dips in the Ganga (especially at Prayagraj and Gangasagar), the giving of til-gud (sesame-jaggery), and harvest thanksgiving mark the day across traditions.
Rituals & how it is observed
- Take a holy dip in a sacred river at dawn
- Exchange til-gud sweets with the words "speak sweetly"
- Fly kites; give charity (daan)
✅ Do
- Give charity, especially til, blankets and food
- Take an early holy dip
- Share til-gud and sweet words
🚫 Avoid
- Avoid harsh speech — the day celebrates sweetness
- Avoid skipping daan (charity)
Bhagavad Gita teachings for Makar Sankranti
The Gita explicitly speaks of Uttarayana — the sun's northern course — as the bright path by which yogis depart and do not return (8.24). Makar Sankranti is the day this auspicious "path of light" begins, making it a deeply Gita-aligned festival.
“Fire, light, day, the bright fortnight, the six months of the sun's northern course — departing then, those who know Brahman attain Brahman.”
“Charity given as a duty, without expectation of return, at the right place and time, to a worthy person, is sattvic.”
Krishna's guidance for this day
Sankranti is a fitting day to ask Krishna how to "turn toward the light" in your own life — and to begin a practice of giving without expecting return, the sattvic charity the Gita praises.
Ask Krishna
Bring a real question about Makar Sankranti — its meaning for your life, what to focus on spiritually, what Krishna teaches through it — and receive calm, verse-backed guidance.
Ask Krishna about Makar Sankranti →📿 Mantras & prayers
- ॐ सूर्याय नमः (Om Suryaya Namah)
- गायत्री मंत्र (Gayatri Mantra)
🪷 Recommended activities
- Give charity to someone in need
- Share til-gud and a kind word
- Watch the sunrise with gratitude
Make Makar Sankranti meaningful this year
Add it to your calendar, share the guide with loved ones, and ask Krishna what this sacred day is inviting you toward.