Makar Sankranti Puja Vidhi · मकर संक्रांति पूजा विधि

How Makar Sankranti is kept: the holy bath, arghya to the rising Sun, gifts of sesame, jaggery and khichdi, and the festive foods, as the published guides describe it.

How the puja is done

When

Makar Sankranti is the day the Sun enters Makara (Capricorn), so it follows the solar calendar and falls on 14 or 15 January. The bath and gifts are made in the punya kaal, the auspicious hours after the Sun's entry; see the Makar Sankranti page for the date.

Snan (the holy bath)

Bathe early, in the Ganga or another holy river if you can, or at home.

Arghya to the Sun

Fill a copper vessel with water, add a red flower and black sesame, and offer it to the rising Sun, repeating "Om Suryaya Namah".
Worship Surya, and Vishnu with him. You can recite the Aditya Hridayam.

Daan (gifts)

Give sesame, jaggery and khichdi (of rice and urad dal), with warm clothes or blankets, to those in need.

Food and celebration

Sweets of sesame and jaggery, such as til laddu, are made in almost every home, and khichdi is cooked; in some regions dahi-chura is eaten.
In many places people fly kites.

These steps are written in our own words; each appears in at least two of the published sources linked below, and steps found in only one source are left out. Puja customs differ by family, region and tradition; your family priest or family custom comes first.

About this text

Makar Sankranti marks the Sun's entry into Makara, the beginning of its northward course (Uttarayan) and of longer days. It is one of the few Hindu festivals fixed by the Sun rather than the Moon, and is known in different regions as Khichdi, Pongal, Uttarayan and other names. This page gives its observances as the published guides listed below describe them. Customs differ by region and community: follow your family's way where it differs.