Lohri

Lohri is the festival celebrated every year on 13th January. It is believed that the festival is celebrated on the day when days start becoming shorter and the nights start becoming longer. This festival is celebrated as the harvest festival. Read more in detail.

Overview
Date: 13th January (Changes every 70 years) Celebrated: Annual (Every Year) Celebrations: Bonfire, Singing and Dancing Also Called: "Lal Loi" Official: North India (Punjab, Himachal, Haryana, Delhi and Jammu) Type: Religious, Art & Culture, Seasonal

About Lohri

• The festival Lohri is celebrated every year on 13th January.
• This festival is Popular winter folk festival celebrated primarily in Northern India.
• It is observed or celebrated in the night before Makar Sankranti. The date of Lohri changes every 70 years.
• The official holiday is given in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. It is celebrated in other states also such as Haryana, Delhi and more but is not gazetted or official holiday.
• Festival is celebrated by all religions such as Sikhs, Hindus and others.
• Usually comes in the month of Paush or Magh.
• The people of Sindhi community observe this festival as “Lal Loi”.

It is believed that the festival is celebrated on the day when days start becoming shorter and the nights start becoming longer. This festival is celebrated as the harvest festival. On this day people light bonfire, sing songs and dance in joy to pay respect to the Dulha Batti.

People wear colorful and bright clothes and all come together and enjoy dancing in Gidda and Bhangra. 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.

History

European visitors, including Wade in 1832 and Captain Mackeson in 1836, documented the observance of Lohri at the Lahore durbar of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, noting the distribution of rewards and the tradition of lighting a significant bonfire, with references to the continued celebration in the royal court as late as 1844.

The Lohri celebration, rooted in the folklore of ancient Himalayan communities, signifies the joyous commemoration of the increasing daylight following the winter solstice, traditionally observed through communal bonfires by Hindus and Sikhs to mark the transition toward longer days after the Rabi season. 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 considered to have been derived from the word “Loi”, who was the wife of kabir, the great saint. While some people believe that it originated from the word “Loh” which is a device used for making chapattis. In some parts of the state people also believe that the festival’s name originated from the name of the sister of Holika, who survived the fire while Holika herself died. Besides that, some people also believe that that the word Lohri originated from the word tilorhi which comes from the combination of the words rorhi and til.