As India celebrates the harvest season with festivals such asMakar Sankranti, Lohri and Pongal, schools across several states and cities will remain closed tomorrow due to a combination ofpre-announced winter vacations, festival observances and weather-related holiday extensions. Although January 14 is traditionally associated with Makar Sankranti, this year’s school closures are largely linked toongoing winter breaks and severe cold wave conditions in North India, according to local reports.
Makar Sankranti, observed annually around January 14, marks the Sun’s transition into Capricorn. The festival is known by different names across the country —Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Lohri in Punjab and parts of North India, Uttarayan in Gujarat, and Magh Bihu in Assam— and is closely tied to the harvest season. Celebrations typically include regional customs, traditional foods and community gatherings.
In southern states,Pongal festivities coincide with scheduled school holidays, while in northern regions,Lohri falls near the end of winter vacations, extending the festive break for students in many areas.
Schools in Delhi will remain shut tomorrow,Tuesday, January 14, 2026, as part of the winter vacation announced earlier by the Directorate of Education, Government of Delhi. The winter break runs fromJanuary 1 to January 15, 2026.While Makar Sankranti is not a gazetted school holiday in the capital, schools typically operate on this day during regular academic sessions unless special orders are issued.
Punjab continues to facesevere cold wave conditions and dense fog, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue ared alertfor districts including Bathinda, Firozpur, Moga and Muktsar, and anorange alertfor several other districts such as Amritsar, Ludhiana and Jalandhar.
The Punjab government initially declared winter vacations untilJanuary 7, 2026, which were later extended toJanuary 13following consultations between Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains. Schools are currently scheduled to reopen onJanuary 14, though students and parents have urged authorities to consider another extension due to safety concerns amid ongoing cold and poor visibility.
In Chandigarh, the administration has further extended winter vacations in view of plunging temperatures. Schools in the Union Territory will now remain closed untilJanuary 17, 2026, and will reopen onJanuary 19, as January 18 is a Sunday.
The decision was taken after continued cold wave conditions and dense fog prompted weather warnings from the IMD, with student safety cited as the primary concern.
