Ratha Saptamī is kept as Sūrya's birth and chariot festival. Tradition holds that on this day the sun-god turned his chariot northward toward the devas, beginning a season of increasing light. Sūrya is the visible deva of health and vitality, so a sacred bath before sunrise, Sūrya namaskāra and arghya at sunrise are held especially meritorious. Great Sūrya kṣetras such as Konark, Arasavalli and Modhera hold their chief utsavams on this day. How the day is fixed: The pañcāṅga takes the day on which Māgha Śukla Saptamī prevails at local sunrise. It follows Vasanta Pañcamī by two days. Keep in mind: This is a lunar tithi, not a solar ingress, so its civil date moves from year to year. Since the tithi is read at local sunrise, confirm the day on your own pañcāṅga. This year: The 2026 date shown here is worked out from sunrise at the place you chose, so in another city the same day can fall a day earlier or later. Dawn bath: The sacred bath is taken before sunrise at rivers, tanks or at home, sometimes with arka leaves and red flowers. Sūrya namaskāra follows, and arghya is offered as the sun rises. At home: Household observance is often simply the dawn bath followed by twelve or more Sūrya namaskāra. Many recite Sūrya's hundred and eight names or the Āditya Hṛdaya. At temples: Temples hold Sūrya processions on a chariot, special abhiṣeka and darśana. At Tirumala the deity rides seven vāhanas in a single day, and Konark, Arasavalli and Modhera hold major utsavams. Worth remembering: Makara Saṅkrānti marks the sun's solar ingress and is a separate festival, though both belong to the season of returning light. Chhaṭh Pūjā in Kārttika is another, more rigorous Sūrya vrata and is also distinct. Which leaves are placed on the head, whether milk is boiled over for Sūrya, and how many namaskāras are made all follow family and regional custom. Some keep a fast or eat one meal, while others simply bathe and pray at dawn. The way the elders of one's own house have kept the day is the surest guide.
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