Festival dates · 2026
Also Maghe Sankranti (Nepal) · Pongal
Sun enters Makara (sidereal, Lahiri). The date in 21 cities, computed for local sunrise, with the tithi times.
Every calendar city keeps it on the same day this year.
| City | Date | Tithi (local time) | Kathmandu date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | |||
| Sydney | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 8:23 pm | same day |
| Melbourne | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 8:23 pm | same day |
| Brisbane | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 7:23 pm | same day |
| Perth | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 5:23 pm | same day |
| Adelaide | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 7:53 pm | same day |
| Canberra | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 8:23 pm | same day |
| Hobart | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 8:23 pm | same day |
| Darwin | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 6:53 pm | same day |
| Auckland | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 10:23 pm | same day |
| Nepal | |||
| Kathmandu | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 3:08 pm | — |
| United States | |||
| New York | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 4:23 am | same day |
| Dallas–Fort Worth | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 3:23 am | same day |
| Houston | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 3:23 am | same day |
| Chicago | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 3:23 am | same day |
| Washington DC | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 4:23 am | same day |
| Boston | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 4:23 am | same day |
| Atlanta | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 4:23 am | same day |
| San Francisco Bay Area | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 1:23 am | same day |
| Los Angeles | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 1:23 am | same day |
| Seattle | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | Wed, 14 Jan, 1:23 am | same day |
Rule: civil day of the Sun’s sidereal ingress. Sun enters sidereal Makara. Kept on the civil day of the ingress (Nepal: Maghe Sankranti, Magh 1).
The Sun enters sidereal Makara (Capricorn), the one major festival fixed by the Sun rather than the Moon, which is why it falls on 14 or 15 January every year. In Nepal it is Maghe Sankranti, the first day of Magh, kept with til (sesame) sweets, ghee, yams and sweet potato; in Tamil Nadu it opens the four days of Pongal; in Punjab the bonfires of Lohri burn the evening before; in Gujarat the sky fills with kites for Uttarayan.
A bath at a river confluence or at home before sunrise, foods of sesame and jaggery, and in Nepal a family meal that the married daughters come home for.
Wednesday 14 January 2026. Sun enters Makara (sidereal, Lahiri); the tithi runs Wed, 14 Jan, 8:23 pm to Sydney time.
Wednesday 14 January 2026 in Kathmandu. Sun enters Makara (sidereal, Lahiri); the tithi runs Wed, 14 Jan, 3:08 pm to Nepal time.
Wednesday 14 January 2026 in New York (the same day across the US cities listed). US sunrises fall ten to fifteen hours behind Kathmandu's, so when the tithi ends in that gap the US keeps the festival a day earlier than Nepal.
Because the day is decided by which civil day the tithi is current at local sunrise, and sunrises differ by up to a day's worth of hours between Sydney, Kathmandu and the US. In 2026 every calendar city keeps Makar Sankranti on the same day, Wednesday 14 January 2026.
Sun and Moon positions from Meeus' algorithms with the Lahiri ayanamsa, amanta lunar months named by the solar ingress inside them, and the civil day of the Sun’s sidereal ingress. Tithi boundaries are accurate to a few minutes; a boundary within minutes of sunrise is worth checking against your temple's panchang.
Other years: Makar Sankranti 2027. Nearby: Vasant Panchami · Maha Shivaratri · all festivals.
See also: the full-year calendar by city · why festival dates differ between Nepal, India and Australia.
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