Today, Tharu community as well as other communities are celebrating Maghe Sankranti all over the country. Magha 1st is called Makar (Maghe) Sankranti because the Sun enters Capricorn from Sagittarius.

As Uttarayana starts from today, the days and nights are getting shorter. Bathing, chanting, penance, meditation, charity, etc. on the day Uttarayana begins are considered meritorious. Devghat, Trishuli, Kaligandaki, Wagmati, Indravati, Triveni, Ridi and other places are thronged by devotees who take Magh bath on this day. A special fair is also held in these places today.

Terai people celebrate Magh 1 as a Nahan festival. Terai residents believe that bathing is mandatory today.

It is a religious belief that by going to a shrine in the morning and donating sesame seeds, you will get the same virtue as donating gold. Theologian Prof. Dr. Devmani Bhattarai informed that on the day of Maghe Sankranti in Dharmasindhu, people who do not eat ghee, knife, sesame dishes, khichdi, don't donate, don't bathe in reservoirs, and don't meditate will be ill for life.

It is considered best to do good deeds after Uttarayana. It is believed that a person who bathes, donates, fasts and meditates today will get merit and fulfill his wishes. On the day of Maghe Sankranti, it is customary to eat ghee, chaku, sesame dishes, yam, spinach, khichdi etc. As these dishes provide warmth in winter, hot dishes are eaten during festivals that fall during the cold season. Doctors of Ayurveda say that Tridosh will be destroyed by these foods. There is also a tradition of cooking yams on the last day of Pus and eating Rakhi in Magh. It is used as a proverb 'pusma pake, maghma jake'.

Prof. Dr. Bhattarai said that nowadays it is believed that by massaging the body with sesame oil, harmful substances will come out. According to Ayurveda, the pulse, nervous system and bones of the body can be kept strong and healthy by massaging sesame oil.

Death after the sun sets is considered best. Bhishma, who was on his deathbed during the Mahabharata war, gave up his body after Surya Uttarayana, as he was given the gift of willing death. These days, a fair is also held at Tilmadhav Narayansthan in Bhaktapur.

Magha Mahatmya also has great importance in the month of Magha. According to Magha Mahatmya of Skanda Purana, the dialogue between Kumar and Agastya of Kedarkhand, i.e. the listening process starts from Paush Shukla Purnima. Prof. Dr. Bhattarai informed that this cycle will continue till Magh Shukla Purnima.  

This year, on the Paush Shukla Purnima, i.e. on the 29th of January, Sri Swasthani Vrat Katha has been started, according to the Nepal Panchang Adjudicatory Development Committee. Those who observe this fast take bath throughout the month of Magha according to the lunar month and worship Shri Mahadev daily at midday. That is why it is also called Maghsnan.