Major Festival · Select a year for the Gregorian date
Thai Pongal and Makar Sankranti: Date, Punya Kaal and Harvest Rituals
Makara Sankranti is a solar festival: the Sun enters Capricorn, usually mid-January. Select a year for Punya Kaal timings.
पोंगल / मकर संक्रांति · · Krishna Ekadashi
- Muhurat (2026)
- 07:11 AM to 05:32 PM
- Hindu month
- Magha
- Regions
- Tamil Nadu, Pan-India, Gujarat, Punjab
- Deity
- Surya (Sun God); in Tamil Nadu, the harvest and cattle (Mattu Pongal)
Unlike most Hindu festivals that follow the Moon, Makar Sankranti follows the Sun’s transit (sankranti) into Makara (Capricorn), opening Uttarayana. Tamil Nadu celebrates Thai Pongal — boiling freshly harvested rice with milk and jaggery until it overflows (“Pongalo Pongal”). Andhra and Karnataka observe Makara Sankranti / Suggi; Gujarat flies kites as Uttarayan; Punjab’s Lohri is the night before in many years; Assam celebrates Magh Bihu; Bengal observes Poush Sankranti with pithe-puli. Because this is a solar event, the Gregorian date is more stable than Diwali or Holi, usually 14 or 15 January each year.
When is Pongal / Makar Sankranti?
Makar Sankranti and the principal Thai Pongal day are Wednesday, 14 January, 2026. Bhogi is often the previous day; Mattu Pongal (cattle) and Kaanum Pongal follow on the next two days in Tamil custom. Lohri in Punjab is commonly the previous evening. Confirm Magh Bihu feasts with the Assamese calendar. Use the year selector to see any other calendar. Punya Kaal (the daylight window for ritual bathing and charity) for 2026 is 07:11 AM to 05:32 PM. Mahapunya Kaal is the shorter morning portion after sunrise — prefer that for Ganga snana if you can.
- Solar date: Wednesday, 14 January, 2026.
- Punya Kaal: 07:11 AM to 05:32 PM IST (indicative).
- Not a tithi-based festival — it is a sankranti.
| Name | Region | Typical day |
|---|---|---|
| Thai Pongal | Tamil Nadu | 14 January |
| Makar Sankranti | Pan-India | 14 January |
| Uttarayan (kites) | Gujarat | 14 January |
| Lohri | Punjab | Typically 13 January eve |
| Magh Bihu | Assam | Mid-January, confirm locally |
How to observe Thai Pongal
Draw a kolam, cook pongal in a clay or brass pot facing the Sun, allow it to overflow, then offer it to Surya and share as prasad. Sugarcane, turmeric plants and bananas decorate the courtyard. On Mattu Pongal, cattle are bathed, horn-tipped and honoured — they are agricultural partners, not a sideshow. Kite flying in Gujarat should use safe manja (avoid glass-coated thread that injures birds and people). Charity of sesame (til), jaggery, blankets and food is the classical sankranti dana.
Uttarayana and why the date barely moves
Sidereal solar calendars (Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali sankranti) track the Sun against the fixed stars. Precession means the tropical winter solstice is in December, but Indian sankranti remains in mid-January. This is expected, not an error. For muhurta, Uttarayana is considered a favourable half-year for many samskaras, which is why Makar Sankranti is also a popular wedding and housewarming season in some communities.
Key sacred rituals
- Boiling fresh rice with milk and jaggery in brass pot until it overflows (Pongalo Pongal!)
- Drawing Kolam patterns outside homes
- Kite flying in Gujarat and Maharashtra (Uttarayan)
- Mattu Pongal honoring cattle on second day
Frequently asked questions
When is Thai Pongal / Makar Sankranti?
Both are observed on Wednesday, 14 January, the day of Makara solar transit.
What is the Punya Kaal for Makar Sankranti?
Indicative Punya Kaal is 07:15 AM to 05:46 PM IST on 14 January. Prefer the morning hours after sunrise for ritual baths.
Why is Pongal on the same date every year?
It follows the Sun, not the Moon. Makara Sankranti almost always falls on 14 or 15 January in the Gregorian calendar.
Is Makar Sankranti a public holiday?
It is a holiday in many Indian states (Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, etc.). National gazetted status depends on the annual list.
What is the difference between Pongal and Sankranti?
They share the same solar day. Pongal is the Tamil harvest ritual of overflowing rice; Sankranti is the pan-Indian name for the Sun’s entry into Makara.
Muhurat times are indicative for IST and may vary by city sunrise and tithi. Confirm with Today's Panchang.