Makar Sankranti 2023 Date — Sunday, January 15, 2023
When is Makar Sankranti in 2023? Makar Sankranti 2023 falls on Sunday, January 15, 2023.
Observance: Makar Sankranti (Pongal). City calendars may vary slightly by sunrise and amanta or purnimanta tradition — confirm with your local mandir.
Makar Sankranti 2023 — full list of dates
| Observance | Date & day | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bhogi | Sat, 14 January 2023 | |
| Makar Sankranti / Thai Pongal | Sun, 15 January 2023 | Main day |
| Mattu Pongal | Mon, 16 January 2023 | |
| Kaanum Pongal | Tue, 17 January 2023 |
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 |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Fri, 14 January 2022 |
| 2023 | Sun, 15 January 2023 |
| 2024 | Mon, 15 January 2024 |
| 2025 | Tue, 14 January 2025 |
| 2026 | Wed, 14 January 2026 |
Hindu festivals around Makar Sankranti 2023
- Pongal 2023 date — Sun, 15 January 2023
- Maha Shivaratri 2023 date — Fri, 20 January 2023
- Vasant Panchami 2023 date — Thu, 26 January 2023
- Thaipusam 2023 date — Sun, 5 February 2023
- Holika Dahan 2023 date — Tue, 7 March 2023
- Holi 2023 date — Wed, 8 March 2023
- Ugadi 2023 date — Wed, 22 March 2023
- Gudi Padwa 2023 date — Wed, 22 March 2023
- Chaitra Navratri 2023 date — Wed, 22 March 2023
- Ram Navami 2023 date — Thu, 30 March 2023
- Hanuman Jayanti 2023 date — Thu, 6 April 2023
- Vishu 2023 date — Fri, 14 April 2023
