Most Hindu festivals move around the Gregorian calendar every year because they follow tithi, a lunar measurement. Makar Sankranti and Pongal are the exception, and understanding why helps explain a pattern you may have noticed.
A solar festival, not a lunar one
Makar Sankranti marks the Sun’s transit into Capricorn (Makar rashi), a solar event, not a lunar one. Because the solar year is close to the fixed 365.25-day Gregorian year, the date stays close to January 14 almost every year, drifting only very slowly over centuries, unlike lunar festivals which can shift by weeks.
Why this matters if you live abroad
Since the date barely moves, families in the US, UK, or anywhere else can rely on “around January 14” every year without needing to check a fresh calendar the way they would for a lunar festival, whose date can shift by weeks depending on where you are. The exact clock-time of the solar transit still varies slightly, but the calendar date itself is stable.
Regional names, same underlying event
Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Makar Sankranti in most of North India, Uttarayan in Gujarat, and Bihu in Assam are regional names and rituals attached to the same solar transit.
Check the exact time
For the precise moment of transit and that day’s panchang, use the panchang page with your city selected.
This information is descriptive.