Makar Sankranti 2028, with Shani in Mesha

Makar Sankranti 2028 is Saturday 15 January on the major lists, Surya entering sidereal Makara. Shani’s longer stay in Mesha begins around 23 February 2028, after a return to Meena in late 2027. So the til-gur of January is not yet the morning Shani “settles” in Aries. It is the Sun’s day, with Shani already spending long stretches in Mesha since June 2027.

Treat the laddu as Surya’s. If your Moon is Mesha, you are in the middle of Sade Sati or about to re-enter it, and Sankranti will not close that. If your Moon is Vrishabha, the rising phase has been on since Shani entered Mesha. Eat the sesame. Do the Saturday duty on Saturday, not by renaming a solar festival.

One ingress does not do two jobs

The winter solstice was in December. This is mid-January. The explanation is ayanamsa, not lateness. Shani’s step is the June 2027 ingress.

Questions people keep asking

Is 15 January 2028 a Saturn day?

It is Surya’s sankranti. Shani’s sign that winter is Mesha, but the festival is the Sun.

Does Sankranti end Sade Sati?

No. Sade Sati ends when Shani leaves the signs around your Moon, not when the Sun enters Makara.