Maghe Sankranti, a festival to welcome a new beginning

in Kathmandu, Nepal

14-year-old Rakshya B.K. from the Nepali Newsroom explains one of Nepal’s most important festivals

The festival of Maghe Sankranti is observed throughout Nepal on the first day of the Nepali month of Magh, which is in mid January. It marks the end of winter and the beginning of longer, warmer days.

It is a very important and popular festival that different communities across the country celebrate with great joy and happiness every year. Maghe Sankranti (also known as Makar Sankranti) is celebrated by the Newar, Rai, Tharu and Magar ethnic groups, among others.

Maghe means Capricorn and Sankranti means transition, so the festival marks the transition of the sun into the zodiac sign of Capricorn. According to Hindu beliefs, it is a very auspicious and sacred occasion. The sun god, Lord Vishnu, and the goddess Laxmi are worshipped during the festival.

Maghe Sankranti also celebrates the beginning of the harvest season, where people give thanks for the harvest and pray for prosperity. Families gather to celebrate and enjoy their time together, while also sharing traditional food.

The day usually starts with everyone taking an early morning dip in the sacred rivers of Nepal, including Bagmati, Koshi and Kaligandaki, to cleanse the body and soul. They also visit temples to offer prayers to Lord Vishnu.

For the Tharu community, it is New Year, as they follow a different calendar from the official Nepalese one. Throughout the day they celebrate with several activities, including delicious foods and traditional songs and dances.

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Food is an important part of Maghe Sankranti. The central dish is called til ko laddu, which are small balls made of sesame seeds and jaggery.Other festival dishes include chaku, a sweet delicacy made from sugarcane molasses, clarified butter (ghee) and sesame seeds, and gundruk, which is a side dish made from a mix of fermented leafy greens.

Yams (tarul in Nepali), sweet potatoes and nuts, maize bread, kheer (rice pudding) and yomari (steamed dumplings) are also eaten.

To experience this culturally rich festival, you can visit several different parts of Nepal. Key places to see celebrations include Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur in the Kathmandu Valley. In more remote parts of Nepal, such as the rural Tarai region, you can experience an agricultural version of this vibrant festival.

Written by:

Rakshya B.K.

Contributor

Kathmandu, Nepal

Born in 2010 in Bajura District in Nepal, Rakshya studies in grade five in Kathmandu, Nepal. She is interested in journalism and plans to study journalism in the future. She is part of our Nepali Newsroom’sIntermediate group and writes about science and health.

In her free time, Rakshya enjoys cooking, dancing and acting. She is the second girl in her class and she has won an award in a dance competition organised by the school.

Rakshya speaks Nepali, English and Hindi.

Edited by:

Hesandi Ravisinghe

Science Section Editor 2025

Galle, Sri Lanka

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