Makar Sankranti 2021 Date — Thursday, January 14, 2021
When is Makar Sankranti in 2021? Makar Sankranti 2021 falls on Thursday, January 14, 2021.
Observance: Makar Sankranti (Pongal). City calendars may vary slightly by sunrise and amanta or purnimanta tradition — confirm with your local mandir.
Makar Sankranti 2021 — full list of dates
| Observance | Date & day | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bhogi | Wed, 13 January 2021 | |
| Makar Sankranti / Thai Pongal | Thu, 14 January 2021 | Main day |
| Mattu Pongal | Fri, 15 January 2021 | |
| Kaanum Pongal | Sat, 16 January 2021 |
Why we celebrate
The Sun enters sidereal Makara (Capricorn) and begins Uttarayana, its northward journey. It is the one major Hindu festival fixed to the solar calendar rather than the moon, so it lands on 14 or 15 January every year. In Tamil Nadu the same day is Thai Pongal, the harvest thanksgiving that opens the auspicious month of Thai.
Regional notes
Tamil Nadu: Thai Pongal. Andhra and Telangana: three-day Sankranti with Bhogi and Kanuma. Karnataka: Suggi Habba with ellu-bella exchange. Maharashtra: til-gul with the greeting 'til-gul ghya, god god bola'. Gujarat and Rajasthan: Uttarayan kites. Punjab: Maghi, the morning after Lohri. Assam: Magh Bihu with meji bonfires.
How it is celebrated
Four days in the Tamil country: Bhogi (bonfire of the old), Thai Pongal (the pongal pot boiling over), Mattu Pongal (honouring cattle) and Kaanum Pongal (family outings). Elsewhere it is Uttarayan kite flying in Gujarat, Lohri and Maghi in Punjab, Magh Bihu in Assam, Khichdi in Uttar Pradesh, and holy dips at Ganga Sagar, Prayagraj and Haridwar.
Puja timing
Punya Kaal is the roughly forty ghatis (about sixteen hours) after the Sun's ingress into Makara; if the transit happens after sunset the whole observance shifts to the next sunrise, which is why some years fall on 15 January.
Foods & offerings
Sakkarai pongal and ven pongal, sugarcane, til-gul laddu and gajak, khichdi, pitha in Assam.
Rituals
- Boil the pongal pot at sunrise and let it overflow while calling 'Pongalo Pongal'.
- Bathe in a river or take a sankalpa snan at home before sunrise.
- Draw a kolam or rangoli at the doorway.
- Give til-gul, grain or cloth as daan.
Makar Sankranti dates by year
| Year | Date & day |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Wed, 15 January 2020 |
| 2021 | Thu, 14 January 2021 |
| 2022 | Fri, 14 January 2022 |
| 2023 | Sun, 15 January 2023 |
| 2024 | Mon, 15 January 2024 |
Hindu festivals around Makar Sankranti 2021
- Pongal 2021 date — Thu, 14 January 2021
- Vasant Panchami 2021 date — Tue, 16 February 2021
- Thaipusam 2021 date — Sat, 27 February 2021
- Maha Shivaratri 2021 date — Thu, 11 March 2021
- Holika Dahan 2021 date — Sun, 28 March 2021
- Holi 2021 date — Mon, 29 March 2021
- Ugadi 2021 date — Tue, 13 April 2021
- Gudi Padwa 2021 date — Tue, 13 April 2021
- Chaitra Navratri 2021 date — Tue, 13 April 2021
- Vishu 2021 date — Wed, 14 April 2021
- Baisakhi 2021 date — Wed, 14 April 2021
- Tamil Puthandu 2021 date — Wed, 14 April 2021
