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Festival dates · 2027

Makar Sankranti 2027

Also Maghe Sankranti (Nepal) · Pongal

Sun enters Makara (sidereal, Lahiri). The date in 21 cities, computed for local sunrise, with the tithi times.

Short answer.
  • Sydney and Melbourne: Friday 15 January 2027
  • Kathmandu: Thursday 14 January 2027
  • New York: Thursday 14 January 2027

The cities split across Thu, 14 Jan and Fri, 15 Jan this year: the tithi boundary falls between their sunrises. The table shows every city.

Date by city

CityDateTithi (local time)Kathmandu date
Australia and New Zealand
SydneyFriday 15 January 2027Fri, 15 Jan, 2:30 amThu, 14 Jan
MelbourneFriday 15 January 2027Fri, 15 Jan, 2:30 amThu, 14 Jan
BrisbaneFriday 15 January 2027Fri, 15 Jan, 1:30 amThu, 14 Jan
PerthThursday 14 January 2027Thu, 14 Jan, 11:30 pmsame day
AdelaideFriday 15 January 2027Fri, 15 Jan, 2:00 amThu, 14 Jan
CanberraFriday 15 January 2027Fri, 15 Jan, 2:30 amThu, 14 Jan
HobartFriday 15 January 2027Fri, 15 Jan, 2:30 amThu, 14 Jan
DarwinFriday 15 January 2027Fri, 15 Jan, 1:00 amThu, 14 Jan
AucklandFriday 15 January 2027Fri, 15 Jan, 4:30 amThu, 14 Jan
Nepal
KathmanduThursday 14 January 2027Thu, 14 Jan, 9:15 pm—
United States
New YorkThursday 14 January 2027Thu, 14 Jan, 10:30 amsame day
Dallas–Fort WorthThursday 14 January 2027Thu, 14 Jan, 9:30 amsame day
HoustonThursday 14 January 2027Thu, 14 Jan, 9:30 amsame day
ChicagoThursday 14 January 2027Thu, 14 Jan, 9:30 amsame day
Washington DCThursday 14 January 2027Thu, 14 Jan, 10:30 amsame day
BostonThursday 14 January 2027Thu, 14 Jan, 10:30 amsame day
AtlantaThursday 14 January 2027Thu, 14 Jan, 10:30 amsame day
San Francisco Bay AreaThursday 14 January 2027Thu, 14 Jan, 7:30 amsame day
Los AngelesThursday 14 January 2027Thu, 14 Jan, 7:30 amsame day
SeattleThursday 14 January 2027Thu, 14 Jan, 7:30 amsame 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).

What the day observes

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.

How it is kept

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.

Common questions

When is Makar Sankranti 2027 in Sydney?

Friday 15 January 2027. Sun enters Makara (sidereal, Lahiri); the tithi runs Fri, 15 Jan, 2:30 am to Sydney time. Kathmandu keeps it on Thursday 14 January 2027.

When is Makar Sankranti 2027 in Nepal?

Thursday 14 January 2027 in Kathmandu. Sun enters Makara (sidereal, Lahiri); the tithi runs Thu, 14 Jan, 9:15 pm to Nepal time.

When is Makar Sankranti 2027 in the United States?

Thursday 14 January 2027 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.

Why is Makar Sankranti on a different day in different countries?

Because the day is decided by which civil day the tithi (lunar day) is current at local sunrise. Sydney's sunrise is four to six hours ahead of Kathmandu's and New York's ten hours behind, so a tithi that ends between two sunrises gives a different day. In 2027 the cities split across Thu, 14 Jan and Fri, 15 Jan.

How is the Makar Sankranti date calculated?

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 2026. 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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