Makar Sankranti 2026: How it is celebrated? History, significance, story and all you need to know

Makar Sankranti is celebrated across India and what's unique about this festival is that every region celebrates this important harvest festival in their own ways. The cultural and geographic significance of the festival varies according to the region or the state where it is celebrated. Makar Sankranti, which can be translated as the transition of Capricorn ('makar' means Capricorn and 'sankranti' means transition), is generally celebrated on January 14 every year. However, depending on the Hindu calendar, the date of Makar Sankranti might change by a day or two.

On this auspicious day, people from different regions of India pay their respect and pray for a good harvest. This festival is known by different names in different states of the county—in states of northern India, it is celebrated as Maghi and Makar Sankranti, as Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu in Assam, Thai Pongal in Tamil Nadu and as Paush Sankranti in West Bengal. Makar Sankranti is celebrated with much fervour and festivities and people prepare for this day much in advance. In some regions, melas (Magha Mela) and social functions are organised during Makar Sankranti and people prepare regional delicacies which they enjoy with friends and family later.

How Makar Sankranti is celebrated across India
In many north Indian states, including Delhi and Haryana, Makar Sankranti or Sakraat is one of the major festivals of the year. People cook kheer and churma to mark the occasion. Some also follow a ritual where gifts 'Sidha' and 'Manana' are exchanged between family members. People celebrate this day by visiting friends and family and some even sing folk songs praising the importance of the harvest festival.

People in Punjab celebrate Maghi and they start the day by bathing in the river early in the morning. They also follow this ritual of burning lamps with sesame oil, which is believed to attract prosperity and wash away all sins. During Maghi, people also perform 'bhangra' in groups and they also have communal lunch where they are served kheer cooked with milk and sugarcane juice among other local delicacies. This festival also represents the change of season and it is believed that the winters end with Makar Sankranti.

In Rajasthan, Makar Sankranti or Sankrat is one of the most important festivals of the state. During this festival, many Rajasthani delicacies such a pheeni, gajak, ghevar, kheer, puwa, til-paati etc. are prepared. This is a very important festival for married women of this state because she along with her husband and in-laws are invited by her parents for a feast at their place.

In Assam, people celebrate the harvest festival called Magh or Bhogali Bihu. As the name suggests, this festival is about 'bhog' and as a respect to the harvest they have collected, people organize communal feasts where everyone assembles and enjoys freshly cooked delicacies. Food plays an important part in this festival and Assamese people start the day with traditional breakfasts consisting of 'doi chira gur' and 'pita'. People build tall structures called 'meji' with dry bamboo and hay much ahead of Magh Bihu and on the morning of the festival this structure is lit like a bonfire where people offer the food cooked from the new harvest and pray to god for a blessed year.

It doesn't matter by what name Makar Sankranti is called across the country but people celebrate and enjoy the day with great fervour and festivity. This is the time when people pay their respect to the Gods for the bountiful harvest and also pray for a fruitful and better year.