• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Our Authors
  • Contact Us

The Punjab Pulse

Centre for Socio-Cultural Studies

  • Areas of Study
    • Social & Cultural Studies
    • Religious Studies
    • Governance & Politics
    • National Perspectives
    • International Perspectives
    • Communism
  • Activities
    • Conferences & Seminars
    • Discussions
  • News
  • Resources
    • Books & Publications
    • Book Reviews
  • Icons of Punjab
  • Videos
  • Academics
  • Agriculture
You are here: Home / Religious Studies / Lohri: Of bonfire & new beginnings

Lohri: Of bonfire & new beginnings

January 14, 2022 By Guest Author

Share

Neha Saini and Vishal Kumar

Lohri, a festival that marks the harvest season in Punjab and Maghi or Makar Sankranti that marks the New Year according to Hindu traditions, bring positivity, warmth and a lot of delicious festive food to the table

Weekend Weather in Nottingham Bonfire Night - DG Cars

Dancing around the bonfire, singing Sundar mundriye, relishing on festive foods such as til bhugga, khajoor, gur gajjak, Lohri is the festival of happiness, warmth and abundance.

In Punjab, Lohri is also celebrated as the harvest festival and marks the auspicious period of Uttarayan in northern India. Marking the onset of Rabi harvest season, Lohri festival holds significance due to several folkores and traditions associated with it. Ideally, Lohri is celebrated by lighting a bonfire and distributing festive savouries such as til bhugga, peanuts, gajjaks among loved ones. In an event of any recent marriage or birth of a baby in the family, Lohri festivities are grander in nature.How to Celebrate Lohri in Traditional Punjabi Way? | Blog – MyFlowerTree

In Amritsar, festive foods including khajoor are a favourite pick of the day. Kite-flying is another favourite Lohri activity and several kite-flying competitions are organised on the day. Since Lohri is followed by another winter festival Maghi or Makar Sankranti, every household prepares kheer made from sugarcane, jaggery, rice and nuts and dal-khichdi that is consumed on Maghi. Other festive food on Lohri include sarson ka saag and makki ki roti. Maghi or Makar Sankranti is celebrated as people visit shrines and take holy dip to pray for new beginnings. Kite-flying is another way of celebrating Makar Sankranti that also marks the New Year according to Hindu traditions.

Another interesting aspect of Lohri is the folklore of Dulha Bhatti that is associated with the festival. According to the legend, during the reign of Akbar, Dulha Bhatti was a hero, a man who used to save young girls from being abducted and sold to men. He became a hero for villagers during the time and they used to sing his praises in a song dedicated to him. Till today, Lohri ritual that are performed include lighting the bonfire, singing popular folk song Sundar Mundriye… remembering Dulha Bhatti.

Happy Lohri: Beyond bonfires and popcorn - Education Today News

Another interesting fact about Lohri is that earlier, lighting bonfire was considered as summoning Gods and offering festive foods including til (sesame), gur (jaggery) and gajjak, were considered as paying gratitude to them for a good harvest season. That’s why even today, festive food is offered to the bonfire and later distributed among people.

As it’s a festival of positivity and change (as it marks change in season), Lohri has also been able to break certain stereotypes over the years. The celebration assumed grand scale with the birth of a male child in the family. But lately, the concept of dhiyan di lohri is being popularised, by celebrating the birth of a girl child in the family.

Courtesy: The Tribune


Share
test

Filed Under: Religious Studies, Social & Cultural Studies, Stories & Articles

Primary Sidebar

News

फारेंसिक जांच में सही निकली यौन शोषण आरोपी आप मंत्री की वीडियो क्लिप

June 7, 2023 By News Bureau

ਲੁਧਿਆਣਾ ‘ਚ ਨਸ਼ੇ ਦੀ ਓਵਰਡੋਜ਼ ਨਾਲ ਨੌਜਵਾਨ ਦੀ ਮੌਤ

June 7, 2023 By News Bureau

ਪੈਨਸ਼ਨਰਾਂ ਨੇ ਮਾਨ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਵਿਰੁੱਧ ਕੀਤਾ ਰੋਸ ਪ੍ਰਦਰਸ਼ਨ

June 7, 2023 By News Bureau

Punjab: कच्चे मुलाजिमों ने जंत्री लेकर किया प्रदर्शन

June 7, 2023 By News Bureau

विदेशी फंडिंग से पंजाब में गड़बड़ी की साजिश

June 7, 2023 By News Bureau

Areas of Study

  • Governance & Politics
  • International Perspectives
  • National Perspectives
  • Social & Cultural Studies
  • Religious Studies

Featured Article

The Akal Takht Jathedar: Despite indefinite term why none has lasted beyond a few years?

May 15, 2023 By Guest Author

Kamaldeep Singh Brar The Akal Takth There’s no fixed term for the Jathedar (custodian) of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat in Sikhism. That means an Akal Takht Jathedar can continue to occupy the seat all his life. Yet, no Akal Takht Jathedar in recent memory has lasted the crown of thorns for more […]

Academics

Uranium and fluoride enriched saline groundwater around Punjab

Uranium and fluoride enriched saline groundwater around Punjab Scarcity of fresh surface water increases dependency on groundwater for agriculture and domestic consumption which itself is unsafe in many instances by excess salinity, fertilizer inputs and heavy metals. The present study examined groundwater geochemistry up to 460 ft depth around a semi-arid region of Punjab, India where fluorosis, cancer and […]

‘सिंघसूरमा लेखमाला’ धर्मरक्षक वीरव्रति खालसा पंथ – भाग-10 – भाग-11

सिंघसूरमा लेखमाला धर्मरक्षक वीरव्रति खालसा पंथ – भाग-10 विजयी सैन्य शक्ति के प्रतीक ‘पांच प्यारे’ और पांच ‘ककार’ नरेंद्र सहगल श्रीगुरु गोविंदसिंह द्वारा स्थापित ‘खालसा पंथ’ किसी एक प्रांत, जाति या भाषा का दल अथवा पंथ नहीं था। यह तो संपूर्ण भारत एवं भारतीयता के सुरक्षा कवच के रूप में तैयार की गई खालसा फौज […]

‘सिंघसूरमा लेखमाला’ धर्मरक्षक वीरव्रति खालसा पंथ – भाग-8 – भाग-9

सिंघसूरमा लेखमाला धर्मरक्षक वीरव्रति खालसा पंथ – भाग-8 अमृत शक्ति-पुत्रों का वीरव्रति सैन्य संगठन नरेंद्र सहगल संपूर्ण भारत को ‘दारुल इस्लाम’ इस्लामिक मुल्क बनाने के उद्देश्य से मुगल शासकों द्वारा किए गए और किए जा रहे घोर अत्याचारों को देखकर दशम् गुरु श्रीगुरु गोविंदसिंह ने सोए हुए हिंदू समाज में क्षात्रधर्म का जाग्रण करके एक […]

Twitter Feed

ThePunjabPulse Follow

@ ·
now

Reply on Twitter Retweet on Twitter Like on Twitter Twitter
Load More

EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Signup to receive regular updates and to hear what's going on with us.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Phone
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

TAGS

Academics Activities Agriculture Areas of Study Books & Publications Communism Conferences & Seminars Discussions Governance & Politics Icons of Punjab International Perspectives National Perspectives News Religious Studies Resources Social & Cultural Studies Stories & Articles Uncategorized Videos

Footer

About Us

The Punjab Pulse is an independent, non-partisan think tank engaged in research and in-depth study of all aspects the impact the state of Punjab and Punjabis at large. It strives to provide a platform for a wide ranging dialogue that promotes the interest of the state and its peoples.

Read more

Follow Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Phone
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 · The Punjab Pulse

Developed by Web Apps Interactive