Uttarayani and Ghughutiya: Makar Sankranti in Uttarakhand

Quick answer: In Uttarakhand, Makar Sankranti is called Uttarayani. In Kumaon it is also Ghughutiya: children wear garlands of small jaggery-and-flour sweets called ghughute and call crows to share them. Bageshwar holds the Uttarayani fair where the Saryu and Gomti meet. In Garhwal it is a khichdi day. In 2027 it falls on 15 January in India per the panchang; some government lists mark 14 January.

Uttarayani 2027: key facts

	2027
Makar Sankranti (Uttarayani) in India	Friday 15 January 2027 per the panchang; some government lists mark 14 January
Moment the Sun enters Makara	9:14 PM IST on Thursday 14 January 2027 (Drik Panchang)
Haridwar	9:14 PM on Thursday 14 January, after sunset, so the panchang day is Friday 15 January 2027
Haridwar Ardh Kumbh: first bathing day	Thursday 14 January 2027, as reported by the Press Trust of India; no official notice seen
Uttarayani fair, Bageshwar	Held each January; check the Bageshwar district administration for the 2027 dates

Because the Sun enters Makara after sunset on Thursday 14 January, panchangs place Makar Sankranti on Friday 15 January. The Central Government's restricted-holiday list marks it on Thursday 14 January. For timings in your city, see our Makar Sankranti 2027 guide, and confirm with your local panchang or temple priest.

What do the names mean?

Name	Meaning
Uttarayani (also Uttaraini, Uttarayni)	From Uttarayana, the Sun's northward course, which tradition begins at Makar Sankranti
Ghughutiya, Ghughutia	The Kumaoni festival named after ghughute, the sweets made for it
Ghughute (singular ghughuta)	Small shaped sweets of flour and jaggery, strung into garlands
Kale Kauwa	"Black crow", another Kumaoni name for the day, from the children's call to the crows
Khichriya Sankranti	The Garhwal name for the day, after the urad dal khichdi cooked and given

Uttarayana is the half of the year that tradition reckons from Makar Sankranti. It is not the same as the winter solstice, which falls around 21 to 22 December. The two coincided many centuries ago and have drifted apart because of the slow wobble of the Earth's axis (precession).

Kumaon: what is Ghughutiya?

Ghughutiya is a children's festival of Kumaon, and the Bageshwar district administration notes that the custom is not seen anywhere else.

How are ghughute made?

Flour is kneaded with jaggery (gud) and shaped into small figures. The Bageshwar district describes one of the shapes as a ghughuta, which gives the sweet its name. The sweets are cooked, then strung into a garland with oranges and other fruit. Families use their own shapes and cooking method, so follow your elders.

What do the children do?

On the festival morning, children wear the ghughute garlands around their necks. They get up early and call the crows with a traditional rhyme, then break off pieces of the garland for the crows to eat.

Kumaoni families do not all keep this on the same morning. Customs differ from area to area, so ask your elders which day your family follows.

Why the crows?

The official sources we used record the custom but give no explanation for it. Families tell different stories, and we have not found one we can source, so we do not repeat any here as fact.

Bageshwar: the Uttarayani fair

Where is it?

Bageshwar town sits at the confluence of the Saryu and Gomti rivers in eastern Kumaon. The district administration describes it as a place long associated with Shiva. At the meeting of the two rivers stands the Bagnath temple, the shrine of Bageshwar or Vyaghreshwar, "the Tiger Lord", a name of Shiva. The district's page says the temple was built by the Kumaon king Laxmi Chand around 1450 CE, and that an older Sanskrit inscription survives there.

What happens at the fair?

On Uttarayani, people bathe in the rivers at Bageshwar and at other places such as Rameshwar and Chitrashila, and visit the Bagnath temple. The district administration calls the Uttarayani fair one of the largest fairs of Kumaon and says it is held in January for about a week. Its historical account describes traders coming from Almora, and Bhotiya traders coming down from the high valleys with ponies, wool, furs and other goods. The district administration announces each year's arrangements: check its website, bageshwar.nic.in, before you travel.

Other Uttarayani fairs in Kumaon

The Nainital district administration records an Uttaraini fair at Chitrashila near Ranibag on Makar Sankranti day.

Garhwal: Khichriya Sankranti

In Garhwal, the day is also called Uttarayani, but the emphasis is on khichdi. The Pauri Garhwal district administration says Makar Sankranti is kept there as Khichriya Sankranti. Families cook khichdi of urad dal and give rice and urad dal to Brahmins as daan. It also records Gindi fairs on this day at places in the district such as Dadamandi and Thalnadi.

So the two halves of the state keep the same day differently. Kumaon centres on children, crows and ghughute. Garhwal centres on khichdi and the gift of rice and dal.

Haridwar: the Ardh Kumbh and the bathing day

In 2027 Haridwar hosts the Ardh Kumbh Mela, and Makar Sankranti is its first bathing day.

In April 2026, the mela officer announced the schedule of bathing days, the Press Trust of India reported. It lists the first bath, for Makar Sankranti, on Thursday 14 January 2027. We have not seen an official government notice yet, so treat this as reported.

That is one day before the panchang observance in India. The Sun enters Makara at 9:14 PM IST on Thursday 14 January, after sunset. Panchangs that follow the sunset rule move the festival to the next morning, Friday 15 January. The mela schedule simply uses 14 January. Both are in use, and neither is a mistake. If you plan to bathe at Haridwar, follow the mela administration's final schedule for crowd and traffic arrangements, and ask your family priest which day to keep the Sankranti rites.

Safety at river baths and fairs

Hill rivers in January are very cold and fast. Bathe only at official ghats, hold the chains or railings, and keep children with an adult.
Elders and anyone unwell can bathe at home with warm water instead.
At crowded fairs, agree on a meeting point and keep a phone number written on children's clothing.
Do not feed crows with sweets that contain nuts or chocolate. The plain ghughute of tradition are made from flour and jaggery.

How do families from Uttarakhand keep Uttarayani abroad?

Ghughute travel well as a family project. Wheat flour and jaggery are easy to find in Indian grocers, and children can shape the sweets and string them with orange segments the evening before. Where there are few crows, or feeding wild birds is discouraged, you can set a small portion aside for a temple offering instead and share the rest. Garhwali families can cook urad dal khichdi and set aside rice and dal for a gift. Check your local date first: in North America and the UK, Makar Sankranti 2027 falls on Thursday 14 January (see Makar Sankranti dates abroad). Follow local rules on feeding wild birds.

How is Uttarakhand different from its neighbours?

Region	Name	What stands out
Kumaon (Uttarakhand)	Uttarayani, Ghughutiya	Children's ghughute garlands and crow-feeding; Bageshwar fair
Garhwal (Uttarakhand)	Uttarayani, Khichriya Sankranti	Urad dal khichdi; rice and dal daan; Gindi fairs
Uttar Pradesh	Khichdi	Khichdi offering at the Gorakhnath temple; Magh Mela bath at Prayagraj

See our Khichdi Sankranti in Uttar Pradesh and Maghi and Sakrat in Haryana, Delhi and Himachal guides.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ghughutiya?

It is Kumaon's name for Makar Sankranti, after the ghughute sweets made for it. Children wear garlands of the sweets and call crows to eat some before they eat the rest. The Bageshwar district administration notes that the custom belongs to Kumaon.

What are ghughute made of?

Flour kneaded with jaggery, shaped into small figures, cooked, and strung on a thread with oranges and other fruit. Shapes and cooking methods vary by family.

Is Ghughutiya kept on Makar Sankranti or the day before?

It depends on where your family comes from: customs differ within Kumaon. Ask your elders, and check the Makar Sankranti date in your local panchang.

Where is the Uttarayani fair held?

The best-known is at Bageshwar, at the confluence of the Saryu and Gomti rivers, near the Bagnath temple. The Nainital district also records an Uttaraini fair at Chitrashila near Ranibag. Check the district administration for each year's dates.

When is the Haridwar Ardh Kumbh Makar Sankranti bath in 2027?

The Press Trust of India reported the first bathing day as Thursday 14 January 2027, from the mela officer's schedule. We have not seen an official notice yet. The panchang places Makar Sankranti in India on Friday 15 January, because the Sun enters Makara after sunset on 14 January.

What is Khichriya Sankranti?

It is the Garhwal name for Makar Sankranti. Families cook urad dal khichdi and give rice and urad dal as daan.

Sources

District Administration Bageshwar, Culture and Heritage (Ghughutia; Uttaraini festival): https://bageshwar.nic.in/culture-heritage/ (accessed 12 November 2026)
District Administration Bageshwar, About District (Saryu and Gomti confluence): https://bageshwar.nic.in/about-district/ (accessed 12 November 2026)
District Administration Bageshwar, Temples (Bagnath temple): https://bageshwar.nic.in/temples/ (accessed 12 November 2026)
District Administration Nainital, Culture and Heritage (Uttaraini Mela, Chitrashila): https://nainital.nic.in/culture-heritage/ (accessed 12 November 2026)
District Administration Pauri Garhwal, Fairs and Festivals (Khichriya Sankranti): https://pauri.nic.in/fairs-festivals/ (accessed 12 November 2026)
Press Trust of India via The Week, "Dates announced for bathing festivals during Ardh Kumbh Mela in Haridwar", 15 April 2026: https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/national/2026/04/15/dates-announced-for-bathing-festivals-during-ardh-kumbh-mela-in-haridwar.html (accessed 12 November 2026)
HinduTone Makar Sankranti 2027 date data (Drik Panchang ingress; Haridwar): Makar Sankranti 2027

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.