Lohri Celebrations

The Lohri festival is one of the greatest festivals of Punjab and Haryana. It is celebrated on the 13th of January during the month of Paush or Magh, a day before Makar Sankranti.

Lohri is a festival connected with the solar year.This festival marks the departure of the winter season. Earlier it was celebrated mainly in Punjab but now across the country people celebrated this as a harvest festival like - Pongal- in Tamil Nadu,Bihu in Assam, Bhogi in Andhra pradesh and the Sankranti in Karnataka,Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

The best way of celebrations in this chilly whether could be to sit around a bonfire and enjoy. Well, Lohri would be the best festival to celebrate and spread the warmth of love and happiness among all your near and dear ones in this chilly weather. Lohri is majorly celebrated in Punjab and north Indian states on 13th January and is considered to be the harvesting festival of Punjab.

Children start collecting firewoods and wooden twigs one week before the festival that are used for burning Lohri. On the Lohri day all the firewoods are arranged in a circular manner in such a way that it makes a huge bonfire.

Traditional songs and famous dances, bhangra and gidda add to the celebrations to Lohri festival. When the bonfire is lit people start dancing and singing traditional lohri songs to create a perfect ambience of Lohri.

Rituals of Lohri :

The day of Lohri begins with children visiting houses in the neighourhood 'asking for Lohri' and singing folk songs in praise of Dulha Bhatti - the Robin Hood of Punjab who used to rob rich and distribute the loot amongst the poor. These little visitors are either given cash or winter savories like groundnut, popcorn, gur, til, revri and gajak. In the evening bonfires are lit in open grounds outside the house or in courtyards and people gather around it. Relatives and friends are invited for Lohri celebrations especially by families where there has been an arrival of bride or a son is born. A part of the munchies collected by children are put in the fire while the rest is distributed as prasad after the puja. People sing traditional Lohri songs as they perform Parikrama of the sacred bonfire.

Lohri Celebrations :

Lohri is particularly a happy occasion for farmers. For them it is the time to relax after days of toil of cutting and gathering grains and other food crops. They are happy with the harvest of the Rabi (winter crop) and are in full mood to enjoy the festival to the hilt. Best of Punjabi Bhangra and gidda performance can be seen during the festival of Lohri.

For a bride her first Lohri holds a lot of significance. The festivities are doubled as relatives and friends pour in to give their best wishes to the newly wed. Same is the case in the family where a child, especially a son, is born. Essential part of the Lohri dinner is the world famous Makke di roti and sarson da saag.