लोहड़ी

The tradition & historical record

Lohri (Lohṛī) is a midwinter folk and harvest festival that marks the passing of the winter solstice and the end of winter. It is a traditional welcome of longer days and the sun's journey to the Northern Hemisphere. It is one of the Indian harvest festivals observed on or near Makar Sankranti (in the month of Magha in the Indian calendar) and falls on the night before Maghi (in the month of Magh in the Punjabi calendar) which commonly falls on 13 January every year. It is celebrated primarily in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan and also other regions of northern India such as Duggar and Jammu in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Lohri is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Muslims in India and is an official holiday in Punjab, India, Jammu and Himachal Pradesh. The festival is celebrated in Delhi and Haryana where it is not a gazetted holiday In Punjab, Pakistan, it is not observed at the official level but Hindus and Sikhs, and some Muslims observe the festival in rural Punjab and in the cities of Faisalabad and Lahore. In recent years, there has been the observance of the revival of Lohri in Punjab, Pakistan. ¹

Lohri is celebrated one day before Maghi (Makar Sankranti) and its date is determined as per Hindu solar calendar. The date of Lohri changes every 70 years. In the late 19th-century, Lohri used to fall on 11 January. In the mid 20th-century, the festival used to be celebrated on 12 January or 13 January. In the 21st-century, Lohri generally falls on 13 or 14 January. Lohri in the year 2024 will fall on 14 January as Maghi will be falling on 15 January. ¹

Lohri is mentioned by European visitors to the Lahore Darbar of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, such as Wade who visited the Maharaja in 1832. Captain Mackeson described Maharaja Ranjit Singh distributing suits of clothes and large sums of money as rewards on Lohri day in 1836. The celebration of Lohri with the making of a huge bonfire at night is also noted in the royal court in 1844. Rose noted in 1907 that the first Lohri following a birth was celebrated by people giving away copper coins and cowries to the poor. The accounts of Lohri celebration in royal circles do not discuss the origins of the festival. However, there is much folklore about Lohri. Lohri is the celebration of the arrival of longer days after the winter solstice. According to folklore, in ancient times Lohri was celebrated at the end of the traditional month when winter solstice occurs. It celebrates the days getting longer as the sun proceeds on its northward journey. The day after Lohri is celebrated as Makar Sankranti. Lohri is an ancient mid-winter festival originating in regions near the Himalayan mountains where winter is colder than the rest of the Indian subcontinent. Hindus and Sikhs traditionally lit bonfires in their yards after the weeks of the rabi season cropping work, socialised around the fire, sang and danced together as they marked the end of winter and the onset of longer days. ¹

The ancient significance of the festival is it being a winter crop season celebration. A popular folklore in the Punjab region links Lohri to the tale of Dulla Bhatti. The central theme of many Lohri songs is the legend of Dulla Bhatti (Rai Abdullah Bhatti) whose father was a zamindar who lived in Punjab during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar. He was regarded as a hero in Punjab, for rescuing girls from being forcibly taken to be sold in slave markets of the Middle East. Among those he saved were two girls Sundri and Mundri, who gradually became a theme of Punjabi folklore. As a part of Lohri celebrations, children go around homes singing the traditional folk songs of Lohri with the "Dulla Bhatti" name included. One person sings, while others end each line with a loud "Ho!" sung in unison. After the song ends, the adult of the home is expected to give snacks and money to the singing troupe of youngsters. Lohri also marks the beginning of the harvest season and sunny days. ¹

The festival is celebrated by lighting bonfires, eating festive food, dancing and collecting gifts. In houses that have recently had a marriage or childbirth, Lohri celebrations will reach a higher pitch of excitement. Most North Indians usually have private Lohri celebrations, in their houses. Lohri rituals are performed, with the accompaniment of special Lohri songs. ¹

Singing and dancing form an intrinsic part of the celebrations. In Punjab, people wear their brightest clothes and come to dance the bhangra and giddha to the beat of the dhol. Punjabi songs are sung, and everybody rejoices. Sarson da saag with makki di roti is usually served as the main course at a Lohri dinner. Lohri holds great importance for farmers. However, people residing in urban areas also celebrate Lohri, as this festival provides the opportunity to interact with family and friends. ¹

Lohri is celebrated with a bonfire. The lighting of bonfires during this winter festival is an ancient tradition. Ancient people lit the bonfire to reignite the return of longer days. ¹

In Punjab, Lohri is marked by eating sheaves of roasted corn from the new harvest. The January sugarcane harvest is celebrated in the Lohri festival. Sugarcane products such as jaggery and gajak are central to Lohri celebrations, as are nuts which are harvested in January. The other important food item of Lohri is radish which can be harvested between October and January. Mustard greens are cultivated mainly in the winter months because the crop is suitable to the agro-climatic conditions. Accordingly, mustard greens are also winter produce. It is traditional to eat gajak, sarson ka saag with makki ki roti, radishes, ground nuts and jaggery. It is also traditional to eat til rice, which is made by mixing jaggery, sesame seeds and puffed rice. In some places, this dish, more like a snack, is named tilcholi. ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Lohri”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

Lohri is winter folk festival celebrated primarily in the Indian Subcontinent, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²

The source record links this tradition to 2 external registers, which can be verified through the citation. ²