History of Lohri
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The history of Lohri, a seasonal festival of North India is as old as that of story of Indus Valley civilization itself. The Festival of Lohri marks the beginning of the end of winter and the coming of spring and the new year. The fires lit
at night, the hand warming, the song and dance and the coming together of an otherwise atomized community, are only some of the features of this festival. The Lohri of north India coincides with Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Makar Sankranti in Bengal, Magha Bihu in
Assam, Tai Pongal in Kerala, all celebrated on the auspicious day of Makar Sankranti.
The origin of this festival can be traced back to the local lore of Dulla Bhatti, whose name can be heard in every lohri song. A Muslim dacoit, Dulla Bhatti lived in the state of Punjab during the Mughal rule over India.
He rescued Hindu girls being taken forcibly to be sold in the markets of middle east, and married them in respectable Hindu families. Thus, despite being a robber, Dulla Bhatti became a local hero. From then onwards, the festival of lohri
is a time when people remember the bandit and his deeds of bravery.
According to the cultural history of Punjab, Bhatti, a Rajput tribe during the reign of Akbar, inhabited parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, and Gujarat (now in Pakistan). Dulla Bhatti, Raja of Pindi Bhattian, was put to death by the Mughal king
for revolting against him. The tribal mirasis (street singers) trace the history of the tribe and interestingly, claim Maharaja Ranjit Singh as one of its scions.
Dulla Bhatti, like Robin Hood, robbed the rich and gave to the poor. The people of the area loved and respected him. He once rescued a girl from kidnappers and adopted her as his daughter. His people would remember their hero every year on Lohri. Groups of
children moved from door to door, singing the Dulla Bhatti folk-song: "Dulla Bhatti ho! Dulle ne dhi viyahi ho! Ser shakar pai ho!" (Dulla gave his daughter a kilo of sugar as a marriage gift).
Lohri is essentially a festival dedicated to fire and the sun god. It is the time when the sun transits the zodiac sign Makar (Capricorn), and moves towards the north. In astrological terms, this is referred to as the sun becoming Uttarayan.
The new configuration lessens the ferocity of winter, and brings warmth to earth. It is to ward off the bitter chill of the month of January that people light bonfires, dance around it in a mood of bonhomie and celebrate Lohri.
A few days prior to the festival, young boys gather outside the village houses and recite lohri songs. The owner of the house gives them popcorn, sugar, jaggery and peanuts as also sometimes money. The tradition is considered especially auspicious for households
which have recently witnessed pleasant happenings.