Why is Makar Sankranti always around 14 January?

Because it is a solar event (the Sun entering Capricorn), its date is nearly fixed, unlike lunar festivals which shift each year.

संक्रांति

What is Sankranti?

A Sankranti is the sun's transit from one zodiac sign into the next — there are twelve a year, marking the solar months.

Sankranti explained

While tithis track the moon, Sankranti tracks the sun. Each time the Sun moves from one rashi (zodiac sign) into the next, a Sankranti occurs. There are twelve Sankrantis in a solar year, and they mark the beginnings of the solar months.

The most celebrated is Makar Sankranti — the Sun's entry into Makara (Capricorn) around 14 January — which marks the start of the sun's northward journey (Uttarayan). Others include Mesha Sankranti (the solar/Vaisakhi new year) and Karka Sankranti (the start of Dakshinayan).

Because Sankranti is solar, its date is nearly fixed each year, unlike the moon-based festivals that shift.

Spiritual significance

Sankranti is a threshold — a turning point in the sun's journey. Such junctures are considered sacred times for holy bathing (snan), charity (daan) and prayer, when spiritual acts bear special fruit.

Why it matters in daily life

Sankrantis are observed with ritual bathing in sacred rivers, giving of charity (especially til and gud), and harvest celebrations — Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri and Bihu all cluster around the January transit.

The Bhagavad Gita connection

Krishna links the sun's northern turn — which begins at Makar Sankranti — to the bright path of the soul, and exalts charity given selflessly at the right time and place.

“Charity given as a duty, without expectation of return, at the right place and time to a worthy person, is regarded as sattvic.”

— Bhagavad Gita 17.20

Related festivals & observances

Makar Sankranti

Vaisakhi (Baisakhi)

See Sankranti in today's Panchang

Now that you understand it, see it live in today's Panchang for your city — and ask Krishna what today is inviting you toward.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Twelve — one for each transit of the Sun from one zodiac sign into the next, marking the twelve solar months.

Continue learning

What is Uttarayan?Uttarayan is the sun's northward journey — the bright, auspicious half of the year, beginning at Makar Sankranti.What is Dakshinayan?Dakshinayan is the sun's southward journey — the introspective half of the year that holds most of the major festivals.What is Hindu Calendar?The Hindu calendar is a lunisolar system that tracks time using both the moon's phases and the sun's movement — measuring not just dates, but the spiritual quality of time.