Festival Calendar 2027 · Punjab & North India
Lohri 2027: Date, Bonfire Time and Rituals
Also spelled Lorhi, Lohari, Logri or Lohdi.
Lohri 2027 is on Thursday, 14 January. It is the eve of Makar Sankranti, and the reason it sits on the 14th rather than the 13th is precise: the Sun enters Makara at 9:10 PM IST on 14 January 2027 — after sunset, so the Sankranti observance moves to the 15th and the Lohri fire belongs to the evening of the 14th.
Quick answer: Lohri 2027 is on Thursday 14 January 2027, the evening before Makar Sankranti (Maghi). The Sun enters sidereal Makara at 21:10 IST on 14 January — after sunset — so Makar Sankranti is observed on Friday 15 January, and Lohri, always the night before, falls on the 14th. Some printed calendars keep the customary 13 January; the computed date is the 14th.
Why Lohri 2027 is on 14 January, not 13
Lohri is not fixed to a calendar date; it is the last night of the solar month of Paush, kept on the evening before the Sun enters Makara (Capricorn). In 2027 that ingress happens at 21:10 IST on Thursday 14 January. Because it falls after sunset, the classical rule carries Makar Sankranti to the next sunrise — Friday 15 January — and Lohri, the eve, moves with it to the 14th. In years when the ingress falls in daylight, Lohri stays on the 13th, which is why the date appears to wander. See the full computation on the Makar Sankranti 2027 page.
The Lohri evening
The bonfire is lit after sunset (about 5:45 PM in Punjab on 14 January); families circle it, offering til (sesame), gur (jaggery), rewri, gajak, moongphali and popcorn to the fire while singing the Dulla Bhatti songs. Newly married couples and homes with a new-born keep the first Lohri with extra ceremony — the child's first winter, the couple's first harvest. The next morning, Maghi, is the Makar Sankranti bath and daan of til-gur and khichdi.
The astrology behind the bonfire
Lohri marks the Sun's turn north (uttarayana in the sidereal reckoning) — the end of the deepest cold and the return of strength to Surya, the karaka of vitality, father and authority in the birth chart. A weak or afflicted Sun in the kundli (check its house and sign in the free kundli) is classically supported by Sun-facing observances at exactly this turn of the year: the early bath, the offering of sesame and jaggery, and daan given before noon.
Lohri 2027 bonfire time: sunset by city (Thursday 14 January)
The Lohri fire is lit after sunset on the 14th. Sunset times below are computed for Thursday 14 January 2027, local time, as published panchangs print them (seconds dropped).
| City | Sunset, Thu 14 Jan 2027 |
|---|---|
| Amritsar | 5:48 PM |
| Jalandhar | 5:45 PM |
| Ludhiana | 5:45 PM |
| Chandigarh | 5:42 PM |
| Patiala | 5:44 PM |
| Delhi | 5:44 PM |
| Jammu | 5:45 PM |
| Shimla | 5:39 PM |
| Brampton (ON) | 5:05 PM |
| Surrey (BC) | 4:39 PM |
| Calgary (AB) | 4:56 PM |
| Southall, London | 4:19 PM |
| Birmingham (UK) | 4:21 PM |
| Melbourne | 8:44 PM |
| New York | 4:51 PM |
In Canada, the UK and the USA, Lohri is kept on the same date, Thursday 14 January; where a community holds its bonfire on a weekend instead, the nearest is Saturday 16 January.
Frequently asked questions
When is Lohri in 2027?
Thursday 14 January 2027, in the evening. Makar Sankranti follows on Friday 15 January.
Why not 13 January?
Because the Sun enters Makara at 9:10 PM IST on 14 January, after sunset, Makar Sankranti is observed on the 15th and Lohri, its eve, on the 14th. Some printed calendars keep the customary 13 January; when the ingress falls in daylight, Lohri does stay on the 13th.
What time is the Lohri bonfire?
After sunset — about 5:45 PM in Punjab and Delhi on 14 January 2027. There is no fixed muhurat; the fire is lit once it is dark and families gather.
Is Lohri on the same date in Canada, the UK and the USA?
Yes — Thursday 14 January 2027. Communities that hold the bonfire on a weekend usually choose Saturday 16 January.
What is offered in the Lohri fire?
Til (sesame), gur (jaggery), rewri, gajak, moongphali (peanuts) and popcorn, offered while circling the fire and singing the Dulla Bhatti songs.
Is Lohri the same as Makar Sankranti and Pongal?
They are linked by the same solar event. Lohri is the eve; Makar Sankranti (Maghi) is the ingress day observed across north India; Thai Pongal is the same day in the Tamil calendar, on 15 January 2027.
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