Makar Sankranti 2026: date and timings
Makar Sankranti 2026 is on
Wednesday, 14 January 2026
- Sun enters Makara at 14 Jan, 15:07
The Sun enters Makara. Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Uttarayan in Gujarat, Khichdi in the North.
Why this day
Fixed by the Sun's entry into the sign, not by a tithi.
Family and regional traditions sometimes keep a festival a day apart. Where that happens, the tithi times above show why.
Other years
- Makar Sankranti 2025 Tuesday, 14 January 2025
- Makar Sankranti 2027 Friday, 15 January 2027
- Makar Sankranti 2028 Saturday, 15 January 2028
All festival dates in 2026
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Dhanteras
Kartika Krishna Trayodashi, the first day of Diwali, kept in the evening.
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Narak Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali)
Kartika Krishna Chaturdashi, the day before Diwali; lamps are lit for Yama in the evening.
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Diwali
Kartika Amavasya. Lakshmi is worshipped in the evening (pradosh kaal), when the Amavasya is in force.
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Govardhan and Annakut
Kartika Shukla Pratipada, the day after Diwali.
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Bhai Dooj
Kartika Shukla Dwitiya; sisters honour their brothers, in the afternoon.
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Chhath (evening arghya)
Kartika Shukla Shashthi: the evening offering to the setting Sun. The morning arghya is the next day.
Dates and times for New Delhi, India.
A festival can fall on a different day in another city, and more often in another country: the tithi changes at the same instant everywhere, but sunrise does not.
How these dates are worked out: every tithi of the year is found from the Sun's and the Moon's positions (Swiss Ephemeris, Lahiri ayanamsa), with the lunar month it belongs to; adhik months are found the same way. Each festival is kept on the day its tithi is in force at the part of the day tradition names for it — sunrise for most, the evening for Diwali and Pradosh, midnight for Janmashtami and Shivaratri, midday for Ram Navami and Ganesh Chaturthi, the afternoon for Dussehra and Bhai Dooj, moonrise for Karva Chauth and Sankashti. Month names follow the North Indian (purnimanta) calendar; in the amanta calendar used in Gujarat, Maharashtra and the South, the Krishna paksha belongs to the month before.