Maghe Sankranti in Nepal: date, foods and customs
Quick answer: Maghe Sankranti falls on Friday 15 January 2027, the first day of Magh in Bikram Sambat 2083. The government's 2083 holiday list, as reported, marks it as a national public holiday. Families eat ghee, chaku, tarul (yam) and sesame laddu, bathe at rivers and confluences, and the Tharu c
Quick answer: Maghe Sankranti falls on Friday 15 January 2027, the first day of Magh in Bikram Sambat 2083. The government's 2083 holiday list, as reported, marks it as a national public holiday. Families eat ghee, chaku, tarul (yam) and sesame laddu, bathe at rivers and confluences, and the Tharu community keeps Maghi, its biggest festival.
Maghe Sankranti 2027: key facts
| Nepal, 2027 | |
|---|---|
| Maghe Sankranti (Magh 1, Bikram Sambat 2083) | Friday 15 January 2027 |
| Moment the Sun enters Makara, Kathmandu time | 9:29 PM on Thursday 14 January (Drik Panchang moment, converted) |
| Public holiday | National public holiday on Friday 15 January 2027, per the Ministry of Home Affairs list as summarised by a Kathmandu law firm (secondary source) |
| Also called | Makar Sankranti, Maghi (Tharu and Magar communities), Ghyo Chaku Sanlhu (Newar community) |
| Same festival in India | 15 January in India per the panchang; some government lists mark 14 January |
| Main foods | Ghee, chaku, tarul, sweet potato, til ko laddu, khichadi |
When is Maghe Sankranti 2027?
Maghe Sankranti is on Friday 15 January 2027. The name means "the Sankranti of Magh": it is the day the Sun enters the zodiac sign Makara (Capricorn), and in Nepal it opens the month of Magh.
The exact moment of entry is 15:44 UTC on Thursday 14 January 2027, according to Drik Panchang. Nepal keeps its clocks five hours and 45 minutes ahead of UTC, so in Kathmandu that is 9:29 PM, fifteen minutes later than the 9:14 PM moment in India. Because the moment comes after sunset, the festival belongs to the next day, Friday 15 January.
The Ministry of Home Affairs published the 2083 holiday list on 2 March 2026. A summary by the Kathmandu law firm Pradhan & Associates lists "Maghi Parwa / Maghe Sankranti" on 2083/10/01 (Friday 15 January 2027) as a national public holiday. We have not seen the Nepali notice itself, so check the Nepal Gazette or your office circular. Confirm timings with your local panchang or temple priest.
What is Maghe Sankranti and why is it kept?
Maghe Sankranti marks the Sun's move into Makara and the start of its northward course, called Uttarayana. In Nepal it is also felt as the turn of the cold season: Nepali newspapers describe the day as a farewell to the harshest winter weather and a time to celebrate good health.
It is not one festival with one meaning. Brahmin and Chhetri families keep it as Makar Sankranti, with a holy bath and worship. The Tharu people of the southern plains keep Maghi, traditionally their New Year. Magar communities in the hills of Karnali Province also mark Maghi as the start of their year, according to The Himalayan Times. Newar families in the Kathmandu Valley keep Ghyo Chaku Sanlhu. Each community has its own name, food and ritual, and the sections below describe them separately.
What do families eat on Maghe Sankranti?
Food is the heart of the day. In Kathmandu's Asan bazaar, people buy chaku, sesame laddu and yam ahead of the festival.
| Food | What it is |
|---|---|
| Ghee | Clarified butter, eaten with chaku and with boiled yam |
| Chaku | A Newar confection of concentrated sugarcane juice, jaggery, ghee and nuts |
| Ghyo chaku | A piece of chaku topped with ghee, the dish that gives the Newar observance its name |
| Tarul | Yam, eaten with ghee |
| Sakhar khanda | Sweet potato |
| Til ko laddu | Sesame seeds bound with molasses |
| Murai ko laddu | Puffed rice bound with molasses |
| Badam ko chaku | Peanuts set in chaku |
| Khichadi | Rice and lentils cooked together; an important dish of the Tharu feast |
| Sel roti | A ring-shaped fried rice-flour bread |
Many people say these foods help the body cope with the cold of Magh. That is a popular explanation, not a medical claim. Sesame, peanuts and ghee are common allergens: label shared plates.
For a related rice-and-lentil dish, see our guide to khichdi.
How is Maghe Sankranti kept at home?
Customs differ by family. The ones reported most often:
- An early bath. Many people bathe at a river near home, or at a temple pond, on the morning of Magh 1. Newspapers call it the Makar snan (Makar bath).
- Worship and offerings. Families visit a temple and offer ghyo chaku, laddu and tarul. Gifts of money, food and ghyo chaku go to priests, and Buddhist families give food to monks.
- Married daughters come home. Married daughters are invited back to their parents' house for the festival meal, as The Kathmandu Post has described.
- Warm oil for the young. Elders rub mildly warm edible oil on the heads of younger relatives. In some Newar homes children are massaged with mustard oil in the midday sun, a custom mothers keep for the child's strength.
- Blessings from elders. Younger family members touch their elders' feet and receive blessings for the year.
How does the Newar community keep Ghyo Chaku Sanlhu?
In the Newar language, ghyo means ghee and chaku means molasses; sanlhu (also spelled sallhu, sannu or sanun) means the first day of the month, here the first of Magh. Newar families eat ghee and chaku and remember their departed relatives.
The Kathmandu Post has described two strands of the day in the valley. Hindu devotees bathe in the Bagmati and make offerings of ghyo chaku, laddu and tarul to Shiva. Buddhist devotees go to Swayambhunath, walk around the great stupa, and give food and money at monasteries. The same families often keep both.
What is Tharu Maghi?
Maghi is the biggest festival of the Tharu community, whose homeland is the Tarai plains of southern Nepal. It falls on the same day as Maghe Sankranti.
Maghi as the Tharu New Year
The Tharu researcher Krishna Raj Sarbahari told The Kathmandu Post that Tharus celebrated the day as their New Year in the past. Families spent the whole day together to plan the year ahead. The Himalayan Times also describes Maghi as the Tharu New Year, especially in the southern plains.
Maghi has a hard history too. The Kathmandu Post reports that it was once the day when bonded labourers renewed their contracts with landlords. After that system was outlawed, Maghi also came to stand for freedom from it.
Names across the Tarai
There are more than fifty Tharu sub-groups, and the festival's name changes with the region: Tila Sakranti, Maghi or Khichara in the central Tarai, Khichadi in the east, and Magh or Maghi in the far west.
What happens on Maghi
- The eve. Food is cooked on the last night of Poush and eaten on Magh 1, as a Tharu saying puts it.
- Bath and worship. The day starts with a bath in the river. Families honour unmarried girls and their parents, and in some homes the children of the family's daughters.
- Elders and the year ahead. Juniors touch elders' feet for blessings, and the family plans the coming year.
- Food. Dhikri (a rice-flour dish) in the far west, bageya in the central Tarai, khichadi, til ko laddu, bhuja ko laddu (puffed rice laddu) and ghonghi (freshwater snails). Some families also make animal offerings to their family deity, according to the sociologist Anchala Chaudhary.
- Dance and costume. Tharu groups gather in public places to dance. Reported Maghi dances include the Maghauta, Jhumara, Lathi, Hurdangwa and Mahutiya. Many now take part in costumed rallies, in green for nature and white for peace.
In Kathmandu, Tharu groups hold a public Maghi celebration with dances at Tundikhel. The Kathmandu Post notes that rallies and stage events differ from the older, family-centred festival.
Where do pilgrims bathe on Maghe Sankranti?
Holy baths at river confluences are a big part of the day, and fairs grow up around the main sites.
| Place | Rivers | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Devghat (Devghatdham) | Kaligandaki and Trishuli, at the meeting point of Chitwan, Tanahun and Nawalparasi | A major Maghe Sankranti fair, with thousands of bathers. One report notes that hundreds of boys have their bratabandha (sacred-thread ceremony) here on the day |
| Ridi (Ruru Kshetra) | Ridi and Kaligandaki, where Palpa, Gulmi and Syangja meet | A three-day fair, with the days known as Jethi, Maili and Kanchhi Sankranti (eldest, middle and youngest); devotees bathe in the Kaligandaki and pay homage to Lord Rishikesh |
| Barahakshetra | Koshi and Koka | An annual fair and holy dips at the confluence |
| Panauti, Dolalghat, Kankai | Local rivers | Smaller bathing fairs |
Bathing safely in January
- River water in Magh is very cold. Elders, small children and anyone with heart or breathing problems can take a short dip at the edge or a bath at home.
- Stay inside marked bathing areas and follow police and volunteers. Currents are strong where rivers meet.
- Keep children within reach in crowds and agree a meeting point.
- Carry dry clothes and warm drinks, and change quickly after the bath.
How do Nepalis abroad keep Maghe Sankranti?
Most families abroad keep the festival at home and gather with relatives or friends at the weekend.
- Check your local date. In the USA, Canada and the UK the Sun's entry falls during the day on Thursday 14 January, so panchangs there give Thursday 14 January; in the Gulf, South-East Asia and Australia it is Friday 15 January, as in Nepal. Our Makar Sankranti dates abroad page has the city table.
- Find the foods. Yam, sweet potato, sesame, jaggery, peanuts and ghee are easy to buy in South Asian shops. Chaku can be hard to find outside Nepal; some families make a simple version with jaggery, ghee and nuts.
- Keep the small customs. Warm oil for the children, blessings from elders and a shared plate of laddu suit an apartment and a working day.
Our Hindus in Nepal hub has more about Hindu life and temples in Nepal.
Frequently asked questions
When is Maghe Sankranti 2027?
Maghe Sankranti is on Friday 15 January 2027, Magh 1 in Bikram Sambat 2083. The Sun enters Makara at 9:29 PM Nepal time on Thursday 14 January, after sunset, so the festival is kept the next day. Confirm with your local panchang or temple priest.
Is Maghe Sankranti a public holiday in Nepal?
Yes, as reported. The Ministry of Home Affairs list for 2083, as summarised by the law firm Pradhan & Associates, marks Maghi Parwa / Maghe Sankranti on Friday 15 January 2027 as a national public holiday. Check the Nepal Gazette or your office circular for the official text.
What is eaten on Maghe Sankranti?
Ghee, chaku (a molasses and nut confection), tarul (yam), sweet potato, sesame and puffed-rice laddus, and khichadi. Tharu families add dishes such as dhikri and ghonghi.
What is Maghi?
Maghi is the name the Tharu community, and Magar communities in Karnali, use for the festival. For the Tharu it is the biggest festival of the year and was traditionally their New Year, kept with river baths, blessings from elders, planning for the year, feasting and dance.
What does Ghyo Chaku Sanlhu mean?
It is the Newar name for the day. Ghyo means ghee, chaku means molasses, and sanlhu is the first day of the month. Newar families eat ghee and chaku and remember their departed relatives.
Sources
- Drik Panchang, moment of Makar Sankranti 2027 (15:44 UTC), via the HinduTone date data in Makar Sankranti 2027
- Pradhan & Associates, "List of Public Holidays, 2083 (2026/27)", P&A Alert, 10 March 2026, summarising the Ministry of Home Affairs notice of 2 March 2026: https://www.pradhanlaw.com/file-upload/files/ListofPubl-1773204479.pdf (accessed 12 November 2026)
- The Himalayan Times, "Maghe Sankranti, Maghi being celebrated across country", 14 January 2025: https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/maghe-sankranti-a-festival-of-rituals-tradition-and-seasonal-delicacies (accessed 12 November 2026)
- The Kathmandu Post, "Maghi the Tharu way", 15 January 2023: https://kathmandupost.com/art-culture/2023/01/15/maghi-the-tharu-way (accessed 12 November 2026)
- The Kathmandu Post, Amrit R Shakya, "Maghe Sankranti: A celebration of harmony", 14 January 2025: https://kathmandupost.com/art-culture/2025/01/14/maghe-sankranti-a-celebration-of-harmony (accessed 12 November 2026)
- The Kathmandu Post, "Maghe Sakranti celebrated across country", 16 January 2016: https://kathmandupost.com/miscellaneous/2016/01/16/maghe-sakranti-celebrated-across-country-with-photos (accessed 12 November 2026)
- The Kathmandu Post, "Confectioners prepare chaku ahead of Maghe Sankranti", 9 January 2026: https://kathmandupost.com/visual-stories/2026/01/09/confectioners-prepare-chaku-ahead-of-maghe-sankranti (accessed 12 November 2026)
- The Kathmandu Post, Makar Sankranti photo story (Tharu Maghi dance in Chitwan; chaku, laddu and yam in Asan), 14 January 2017: https://kathmandupost.com/national/2017/01/14/makar-sankranti (accessed 12 November 2026)
- My Republica, "Devotees throng Devghat to take holy bath": https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/devotees-throng-devghat-to-take-holy-bath-6785ec1faeee8.html (accessed 12 November 2026)
- My Republica, "Maghe Sankranti fair being held in Ridi, thousands throng to take holy dip": https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/maghe-sakranti-fair-being-held-in-ridi-thousands-throng-to-take-holy-dip-with-photos (accessed 12 November 2026)
Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.
Related guides
Share this with family and friends
Send it on WhatsApp, post it, or copy the link.
More from Festivals
- Uttarayan in Gujarat: Kites, Food, Bird Safety and the Manja Ban
- Makar Sankranti in Maharashtra: Tilgul, Haldi-Kunku and the Three Days
- Pongal in Singapore: date, Little India and how families keep it
- Pongal 2027: Dates, the Four Days and How It Is Celebrated
- Kaanum Pongal: The Last Day of Pongal, for Visits and Outings
