The festival of Lohri is Punjabis’ cultural
celebration which marks the culmination of winter by worshiping fire. The
festival is celebrated on Winter Solstice day. As it falls on the shortest day
of the year, Lohri is celebrated by lighting fire and creating a bonfire to
mark the onset of longer days. The day after Lohri is celebrated as ‘Maghi
Sangrand’ as the coming days are meant to start getting longer. As the Punjabi
Folk Religion worships natural elements, the main feature of Lohri is the
bonfire which is dedicated as the end of winter season.
Lohri is also celebrated as the harvest
festivals. The usual traditional time period to harvest sugarcane crops is
January; sugarcane products such as jaggery and ‘gachak’ are central to Lohri
celebrations. Another reason that the festival is important for Sikh folks is
because Punjabi farmers consider the day after Lohri (Maghi) as the financial
new year, which holds immense importance to the Sikh community.
As per the customs, teenaged children go from
door to door singing and seeking the Lohri in the form of money and eatables
like til (sesame) seeds, peanuts, jaggery, or sweets like gazzak, rewri, etc.
The children also sing a song in praise of Dulha Bhatti.
In the evening the bonfire ritual includes
lighting the bonfire after the sunset in the front yards of houses. People
gather around the bonfire and circle around the bonfire throwing puffed rice
and popcorn into the fire, chanting “Aadar aye dilather jaye” which means ‘May
honor come and poverty vanish’. People of the Sikh community also sing popular
folk songs. This particular ritual is a way of thanking the Sun God and seeking
his continued protection. What follows is amidst drum beats men dancing to
Bhangra tunes and women doing graceful Gidda. Apart from this, kite flying on
Lohri is popular in Punjab. People get onto the roof tops and fly kites in
zeal.
We wish a very Happy
Lohri to you and your family. May the Lohri fire burn all the moments of
sadness and bring you warmth of joy, happiness and love.
