Lohri

About

Lohri is a winter bonfire festival, especially loved in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, and by Punjabi families across the world. It is celebrated on the night before Makar Sankranti, so it follows the Sun's calendar and falls around January 13 each year.

The festival marks the passing of the coldest days and the coming of longer days. It also celebrates the rabi harvest, especially sugarcane, wheat and mustard, which are growing in the fields at this time.

Significance and stories

The fire is the centre of Lohri. People gather around it, offer sesame, jaggery, popcorn and peanuts, walk around it, and sing. The fire is understood as an offering to Agni and to the Sun, thanking them for warmth and crops and asking for a good year ahead.

The most told story is of Dulla Bhatti, a Punjabi folk hero of the Mughal era who is remembered for rescuing girls and arranging their marriages. Lohri songs such as Sundar mundariye praise him, and children go from house to house singing them and receiving sweets or coins.

Many families celebrate Lohri especially for a newborn child or a newly married couple in the household, as a joyful first festival together.

How to observe (puja vidhi)

Lohri has no fixed priestly ritual. A common family way is as follows.

1. In the evening, after sunset, gather family and friends outdoors around a prepared wood fire. Keep a bucket of water or a hose ready.
2. Light the fire together, often by the eldest member or a newlywed or the parents of a newborn.
3. Offer sesame seeds (til), jaggery, peanuts, popcorn or puffed corn and rewri into the fire with a short prayer of thanks.
4. Walk around the fire, usually three or more times, praying for health and prosperity.
5. Sing folk songs and dance bhangra or gidda.
6. Share the offerings as prasad and have the festive meal.

Puja items (samagri)

• Firewood or a safe fire container
• Til (sesame), jaggery, peanuts, puffed corn or popcorn
• Rewri, gajak or other sesame sweets
• Sugarcane products where available
• Mustard greens and makki di roti for the meal
• A new outfit if celebrating a first Lohri

Fasting and food

Lohri is a feast, not a fast. The traditional meal is sarson da saag with makki di roti, with gur, til sweets, peanuts, gajak, rewri and sweet rice. Families keep the meal vegetarian or follow their own custom.

Regional customs

• Punjab: Children sing door to door; the first Lohri of a baby or a new bride is a large family gathering.
• Haryana and Delhi: Similar bonfires with gajak and rewri shared.
• Sindhi families: Celebrate Lal Loi with a similar fire and songs.
• Himachal and Jammu: Local versions called Lohadi, with folk songs.

Traditions vary; follow your family's custom.

Celebrating in the USA

Open bonfires are controlled by local fire codes. Many cities and counties require a permit, ban fires during dry or windy weather, or only allow fires in a designated fire pit. Check with your local fire department. Never light a fire on a balcony, in an apartment, garage or near a building.

Good options are a gas or wood fire pit in a backyard where allowed, a permitted campground or park fire ring, or a community event at a temple or gurdwara hall, where the fire is often a contained pit or a symbolic diya or fire bowl. Many families light a single diya or a small tabletop fire bowl and sing indoors.

Winter weather may be cold, so dress warmly. Lohri often falls on a weekday, so many communities hold their celebration on the nearest weekend.