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 This sacred festival is celebrated with great eclat in Northern India mostly by the Punjabi community. It has a great social and cultural significance for handful of reasons.  Lohri is often linked to nature and season. It is meant to be celebrated on the shortest day and longest night of the year. It is a festival dedicated to the end of the winter season. Natural elements like water, fire, wind and Earth are shown gratitude upon by singing of folkrores. Bonfire plays an integral part in celebration of Lohri. It has become more of a tradition. Lighting the Bonfire symbolizes offering prayers to Lord Agni; and the return of longer days.  Lohri is also regarded as Harvest Festival. Every year people celebrate Lohri in the month of January for a good harvest of their (Rabi) crops. The ripening of the crop in the field brings in the golden color. People offer prayers to Lord to shower blessing on their land with good crop. Sunder mundriye ho! Tera kaun vicharaa ho! Dullah Bhatti walla ho! Dullhe di dhee vyayae ho! Ser shakkar payee ho! Over time, Lohri has been related to the tales of Dulha Bhatti. Dulha Bhatti-a legendary hero of Punjab who helped the poor by robbing the rich and rescued girls forcibly taken to be sold in the slave market, is remebered by people. They sing folkrores to express their gratitude towards Dulha Bhatti.  Lohri celebrates fertility and the joy of life in the event of birth of a child or marriage in the family.The family arranges a private feast and merry-making for this very reason. A new born child and a newly wed bride is considered very auspicious. For children, it is the day filled with fun and excitement as they go from door to door to collect the Lohri loot that generally consists of traditional sweets, gajak, rewqi, popcorn and moongphali At sunset, bonfire is lit in harvested field and in yards of houses. People gather around the bonfire and throw puffed rice, popcorns, sesame seeds, gur on the bonfire with the distribution of prasad. Sarson-Da-Saag and Makki-Di-Roti is served around the bonfire. People wear their brightest clothes and dance Bhangra and Gidda on upbeat like the dhol and Gidda.  |
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