Makar Sankranti and Pongal wishes, from the terrace to the kitchen.

When is Makar Sankranti 2027?

Makar Sankranti falls on 14 or 15 January; in 2027 it's on or around Friday 15 January. It marks the sun's entry into Makara (Capricorn) and the start of its journey north, Uttarayan, which is why it's one of the few Hindu festivals set by the solar calendar and so barely moves from year to year. Lohri is the night before in Punjab.

One festival, many names

The same day is celebrated differently across India. In Gujarat and Rajasthan it's Uttarayan, when whole neighbourhoods spend the day on their roofs flying kites and shouting "kai po che" when they cut someone else's. In Maharashtra, people exchange til-gul, sesame and jaggery sweets, and say "til gul ghya, god god bola": take this sweet and speak sweetly. In Tamil Nadu it's Pongal, a four-day harvest festival named after the dish of rice boiled with milk until it overflows. In Assam it's Magh Bihu, with feasts and bonfires, and in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar many families eat khichdi and take a holy dip.

What they share is the season: the end of the coldest days, a new harvest, and the sense of a fresh start. That's what a good Sankranti message celebrates, whichever version your family keeps.

What do you write in a Makar Sankranti message?

A wish for the new season and one detail from the way the person celebrates. For a kite-flying friend, a joke about cutting their kite. For a Marathi family, til-gul and sweet words. For Tamil friends, the overflowing Pongal pot. For elders and colleagues, a simple blessing for health and plenty. If you don't know how someone celebrates, "Happy Makar Sankranti" with a wish for warmth and good fortune is right for everyone.

Pongal wishes

Pongal runs four days: Bhogi, when old things are cleared out, then Thai Pongal, the main day, then Mattu Pongal, which honours the cattle, and Kaanum Pongal, for visiting family. The cry "Pongalo Pongal!" goes up as the pot boils over, a sign of abundance. A Pongal message can wish for exactly that: a home as full as the overflowing pot.

Uttarayan and kite-day messages

Kite-day messages are playful by nature: rivalries over the manja, the neighbour who always wins, the aching neck by evening. Send them the night before or at sunrise, when everyone is heading up to the terrace, and follow up with the photos. "Let's meet on the terrace at sunrise" is an invitation and a wish in one.

Sankranti wishes for elders

For parents, grandparents and older relatives, Sankranti is a day for blessings: health, warmth after the cold months and a good harvest of a year. Keep the message respectful and simple, use aap in Hindi and Hinglish, and if you can't visit, call rather than text. In many families it's also a day for giving, whether til-gul, khichdi, new clothes or a donation, and a line mentioning what you're sending makes the wish feel like part of the tradition rather than a forward.

A kite day that looks after everyone

Kite season has a sad side: sharp, glass-coated and synthetic manja injures birds and motorcyclists every year, and many states and cities restrict it. A kite-day message that says "fly high, use cotton thread" is still festive and shows you care. It's a small line that friends and family remember, especially the ones who ride to work that week.

Sending til-gul with a message

If you're handing out til-gul or til laddoos, a short tag makes the box personal: "Til gul ghya, god god bola. Here's to sweet words all year." The Til-gul filter has lines for exactly that.

Sankranti wishes for work

Keep them short and seasonal: a wish for a prosperous year and a bright season ahead. Because the festival has different names in different states, a pan-India office message can say "Happy Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri and Bihu" to include everyone, which colleagues always notice.

When to send a Sankranti message

Early. Sankranti starts at sunrise: kites go up at dawn in Gujarat, the Pongal pot is set to boil in the morning, and in the north many people take a holy dip before breakfast. A message the night before, or first thing on the day, arrives before the terrace gets busy. For the four days of Pongal, the main wish belongs on Thai Pongal, the second day, with a short Bhogi line the day before for anyone who's clearing out the old to make room for the new. If you're sending a Lohri message the night before, one line can cover both: "Happy Lohri tonight, and a happy Sankranti tomorrow."

Sankranti wishes in Hindi

"मकर संक्रांति की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ" is the standard formal wish. For something warmer: "तिल-गुड़ की मिठास आपके जीवन में हमेशा बनी रहे", may the sweetness of til and gur always stay in your life. In Hinglish, a line about patang and khichdi works for friends.