Lohri 2027 is on Thursday 14 January 2027, the evening before Makar Sankranti, with the bonfire lit after sunset (17:45 in Delhi). Pongal 2027 runs from 14 to 17 January: Bhogi on Thursday 14 January, Thai Pongal on Friday 15 January, Mattu Pongal on Saturday 16 January and Kaanum Pongal on Sunday 17 January.
Both festivals are set by the Sun, not the Moon, which is why they stay in mid-January every year. Below is how each date is fixed, why 2027 lands on the 14th and 15th, and how to find the sunset for your own city.
The 2027 dates at a glance
| Festival | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Lohri | 14 January 2027 | Thursday (evening) |
| Bhogi | 14 January 2027 | Thursday |
| Makar Sankranti | 15 January 2027 | Friday |
| Thai Pongal | 15 January 2027 | Friday |
| Mattu Pongal | 16 January 2027 | Saturday |
| Kaanum Pongal | 17 January 2027 | Sunday |
All of these hang on a single moment: the Sun's entry into sidereal Capricorn (Makara) on 14 January 2027 at 21:10 IST, computed by our engine with the Lahiri ayanamsa.
How Lohri is fixed
Lohri, the winter bonfire festival of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal and Delhi, is kept on the evening before Makar Sankranti. It marks the last night of Paush and the turn towards longer days, and families gather around a fire with rewri, gajak, popcorn and peanuts, with special warmth for a new bride or a newborn in the house.
Because Lohri follows Makar Sankranti, its date depends on when the Sun reaches Capricorn. In 2027 that moment is 21:10 on 14 January, after sunset everywhere in India, so Makar Sankranti is observed on 15 January (our post on Makar Sankranti 2027, 14 or 15 explains the sunset rule). Lohri therefore falls on the evening of Thursday 14 January.
There is a small curiosity in 2027: the Lohri fire is lit on the same evening in which the Sun actually crosses into Capricorn, a few hours later at 21:10.
When to light the Lohri fire
Tradition lights the bonfire after sunset. There is no separate muhurat for Lohri in the dharma texts, so families light it once it is dark and the household has gathered.
In Delhi the Sun sets at 17:45 on 14 January 2027. Sunset is later in the west and earlier in the east, so for Amritsar, Chandigarh, Ludhiana or Jalandhar check the city's own page: Amritsar panchang gives that day's sunset to the minute. The Lohri page has the date and the rule.
How Pongal is fixed
Pongal follows the Tamil solar calendar. Thai Pongal is the first day of the solar month Thai, which begins when the Sun enters sidereal Capricorn. The rule our engine applies:
The first day of Thai is the day of the Capricorn ingress if it happens before sunset; otherwise it is the next day.
The ingress on 14 January 2027 at 21:10 comes after sunset in Chennai as everywhere else, so the first of Thai, and Thai Pongal, is Friday 15 January. The other three days follow from it:
- Bhogi (14 January) is the last day of the month Margazhi. Old things are cleared out and burnt in a morning fire, and the house is cleaned for the new month.
- Thai Pongal (15 January) is the main day. Fresh rice is boiled with milk and jaggery in a new pot until it overflows, and the first offering goes to the Sun. In Chennai the Sun rises at 06:35 that morning.
- Mattu Pongal (16 January) honours cattle, who are bathed, decorated and fed.
- Kaanum Pongal (17 January) is for visiting family and outings.
See the Pongal page for all four days and the Chennai panchang for sunrise, tithi and Rahu kaal on each of them.
Solar, not lunar: why the dates are stable
Most Hindu festivals follow a tithi, a phase of the Moon, and so they drift through the solar calendar by up to a few weeks from one year to the next. Lohri, Pongal and Makar Sankranti are different. They are tied to a sankranti, the Sun's entry into a new sign, and the Sun reaches sidereal Capricorn at almost the same point of the calendar year every year.
That is why these festivals are always in mid-January. The only movement is between the 14th and the 15th (and, for Lohri, between the 13th and the 14th), depending on whether the Sun's ingress falls before or after sunset. That in turn depends on a four-year leap-day rhythm and on a very slow drift between the sidereal and the tropical zodiac. Our post on Vedic vs Western sun signs explains that drift.
One day, many names
The same turn of the Sun is celebrated across India under different names. In Gujarat it is Uttarayan, known for kite flying. In Assam it is Magh Bihu, the harvest feast. In eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar it is Khichdi, after the dish offered and shared that day. Elsewhere it is simply Makar Sankranti, with a holy dip and charity in the punya kaal on the morning of 15 January.
Makar Sankranti also ends the Dhanu kharmas, the month in which weddings pause. Our post on kharmas 2026–27 covers that side of the date.
Planning your 2027 celebrations
A practical summary for families:
- Punjabi and North Indian households: Lohri bonfire on the evening of Thursday 14 January; Makar Sankranti snan and daan on the morning of Friday 15 January.
- Tamil households: Bhogi clean-up on Thursday 14 January, Pongal cooking on the morning of Friday 15 January, Mattu Pongal on Saturday and Kaanum Pongal on Sunday 17 January, a long weekend.
- Everyone: the 21:10 ingress on 14 January is the same moment across India. Only sunrise and sunset change with your city.
Try it yourself
Open the free Lohri and Pongal pages for the 2027 dates and rules, and your city's panchang for the exact sunset on 14 January and sunrise on 15 January. The festivals calendar lists every festival of 2027.