Maghi is the first day of the month of Magh, the morning after Lohri, when the Sun enters Makar. People bathe at dawn, in a river or in the sarovar of a gurdwara, and eat kheer that was cooked the night before. For Sikhs it is the day of the Chali Mukte, the Forty Liberated Ones, and the great fair of Maghi is held at Sri Muktsar Sahib where they fell.
The story
In 1705 forty Sikhs who had deserted Guru Gobind Singh during the siege of Anandpur, signing a paper that he was no longer their Guru, were shamed by a woman, Mai Bhago, into returning. They met the pursuing Mughal force at the pool of Khidrana and died to a man. The Guru tore up their paper and named them the liberated, and the place Muktsar, the pool of liberation.
The kheer of Maghi is made on Lohri night with sugarcane juice and left to be eaten cold in the new month.
ਪੋਹ ਰਿੱਧੀ, ਮਾਘ ਖਾਧੀ
Cooked in Poh, eaten in Magh
Said of the Maghi kheer
How it is kept
- IshnanA bath at dawn in the sarovar.
- Kirtan and langarIn every gurdwara, with recitation of the Guru Granth Sahib.
- Roh di kheerRice cooked in cane juice the night before.
- Mela MaghiThree days at Muktsar, ending in a procession to Gurdwara Tibbi Sahib.
- Khichdi and tilGiven in charity.
Why this date
Maghi is the first day of the solar month of Magh, the civil day on which the Sun enters Makar: 14 January in most years.
Maghi in other years
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Wednesday | |
| 2027 | Thursday | |
| 2028 | Saturday | |
| 2029 | Sunday | |
| 2030 | Monday | |
| 2031 | Tuesday |
More Punjabi festivals
13 JanuaryLohriਲੋਹੜੀ
6 MarchMaha Shivaratriਮਹਾਂ ਸ਼ਿਵਰਾਤਰੀ
23 MarchHoli and Hola Mohallaਹੋਲੀ · ਹੋਲਾ ਮਹੱਲਾ
24 November 2026Guru Nanak Gurpurabਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ ਗੁਰਪੁਰਬ
8 November 2026Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divasਦੀਵਾਲੀ · ਬੰਦੀ ਛੋੜ ਦਿਵਸ
7 AprilChet Navratriਚੇਤ ਦੇ ਨਰਾਤੇ
Where to see Maghi
In Punjab
- Sri Muktsar SahibPunjabThe Mela Maghi, among the largest gatherings of the Sikh year.
- Golden Temple, AmritsarPunjabThe dawn bath in the sarovar on the first of the month.
- Anandpur SahibPunjabFrom where the forty had turned back.
Across India
- HaridwarUttarakhandThe Makar Sankranti bath in the Ganga.
- PrayagrajUttar PradeshThe Magh Mela at the Sangam opens its bathing days.
- AhmedabadGujaratUttarayan, kept with kites from dawn to dark.