Lohri, Pongal and Makar Sankranti 2027 in Canada: dates and the first-Lohri gold gift

When are Lohri, Pongal and Makar Sankranti in 2027?

All three festivals are tied to the same event: the Sun moving into the zodiac sign Makara. Drik Panchang calls this moment the Sankranti. Lohri is held the evening before. Pongal and Makar Sankranti are held on the day itself.

Because the Sankranti moment happens at one instant worldwide, the local date can shift. In 2027 it falls on the morning of January 14 in Canada, but late in the evening of January 14 in India. So the Canadian dates are one day earlier than the Indian ones.

Source: Drik Panchang, with the city set to Toronto, Vancouver and New Delhi. Pongal runs four days. Drik Panchang puts Bhogi the day before Thai Pongal, Mattu Pongal the day after, and Kaanum Pongal last. In Canada that works out to January 13 to 16, 2027.

Many families in Canada hold the Lohri bonfire on the nearest weekend evening instead. That is a family choice. The calendar date stays the same.

What do Lohri, Pongal and Makar Sankranti mean?

Lohri

Lohri is a winter bonfire festival of Punjabi families, both Sikh and Hindu. People gather round a fire after dark. They toss sesame (til), jaggery (gur), peanuts, popcorn and rewri into the flames and pray for health and a good year. The festival is also linked to the wheat crop, which is sown in winter and harvested in spring. There are songs, bhangra and plenty of food.

Thai Pongal

Pongal is a Tamil harvest festival. It falls on the first day of the Tamil month of Thai. Families cook freshly harvested rice with milk and jaggery in a new pot. Letting the milk boil over is a sign of plenty. The dish is first offered to the Sun God to give thanks for the harvest.

Makar Sankranti

Makar Sankranti marks the Sun's move into Makara. It is dedicated to Lord Surya. In many parts of India and in Canadian Hindu homes it is a day for sesame and jaggery sweets, kite flying in some regions, and charity.

What is a first Lohri, and is gold given?

A family's first Lohri after a wedding or a birth is a special one. It is often the biggest Lohri party of the year for that family.

• A new bride's first Lohri: the bride's family traditionally sends Lohri thaalis of rewri, gajak, peanuts and popcorn. Gifts can include new clothes, shawls or jewellery.
• A baby's first Lohri: the baby is dressed in new clothes and blessed by the family. Relatives bring sweets, clothes and sometimes a small gold or silver item.

Older customs gave this party mainly for a son. Today many families celebrate a daughter's first Lohri in the same way.

Gold is not required. It is one gift option among many. When gold is given, it is usually small: a pair of baby bangles (kade), a small chain, earrings for the bride, or a coin.

How are Lohri and Pongal celebrated in Canada?

In Canada, January is cold, so most Lohri bonfires move indoors or to a backyard fire pit, a banquet hall or a gurdwara or mandir hall. Check your city's open-air burning rules before you light a backyard fire.

Tamil families usually make Pongal at home on the stove and visit the temple. Many Hindu temples in the Greater Toronto Area and Metro Vancouver hold special prayers for Thai Pongal and Makar Sankranti. Times vary by temple, so check your local temple's notice board or website in early January.

If you are sending a gift to family in India or Sri Lanka, remember that the Indian dates are one day later. A gift timed for "Lohri day" in Punjab needs to arrive by January 14, 2027.

How do you buy a gold gift for a first Lohri?

Small gold gifts can still cost a lot, because jewellery prices add a making charge on top of the gold. A few checks help.

1. Know the karat. 24K is 99.9% gold. 22K is 91.6% (often stamped 916). 18K is 75%, 14K is 58.5% and 10K is 41.7%. Baby bangles in South Asian stores are often 22K. Many Canadian chain stores sell 10K and 14K.
2. Ask for the weight in grams. Then work out the gold value with the day's price per gram.
3. Ask what the making charge is. Some stores show it as a percentage, others as a dollar amount per gram. Compare stores on the same weight.
4. Get a dated receipt that shows the karat and weight. It helps if you ever resize, insure or sell the piece.
5. For babies, think about safety. Small earrings or charms can be a choking risk. A coin or a keepsake piece kept in a box is a simple choice.

A coin or small bar is plain but holds almost all of its gold value, because there is little or no making charge. RemitBee Gold, a new product coming in early 2027, plans to sell pure 24K gold from $10 at the live price. You can join the waitlist at gold.remitbee.com.

What are good Lohri and Pongal gift ideas?

• For a baby: 22K baby kade, a small gold or silver coin, a new outfit, a til-gur gift box.
• For a new bride: a phulkari shawl, glass or gold bangles, light gold earrings, a Lohri thaali of rewri and gajak.
• For Pongal: a new clay or brass pot, sugarcane, a silk saree or veshti, a small gold coin for the family.
• For the whole family: sweets, dried fruit, or a donation in the family's name.

Prices on gold gifts change every day. Before you shop, check the value of the piece with our gold value calculator and compare it with the gold price per gram in Canada.

Common questions

Sources

• Drik Panchang: Lohri and Makar Sankranti 2027, Toronto
• Drik Panchang: Lohri and Makar Sankranti 2027, Vancouver
• Drik Panchang: Lohri 2027, New Delhi
• Drik Panchang: Thai Pongal 2027, Toronto
• Drik Panchang: Thai Pongal 2027, New Delhi
• The Indian Panorama (January 9, 2026): Lohri, the bonfire festival (first Lohri customs)

Checked against these sources on October 24, 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.