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Lohri is a harvest festival that marks the end of winter season. The day celebrates the harvesting of the rabi crop in Punjab and is celebrated a day before Makar Sankranti. On Lohri, people light a bonfire outside their home or in open spaces with wood and cow dung cakes. Sesame seeds, gajak, jaggery, rewdi and peanuts are offered to the lit bonfire. People also harvest the crops and offer the bhog made using the same to the holy fire. People then perform parikrama around the fire. The festival is considered to be very auspicious for newly-married couples. They participate in the rituals and seek blessings from their elders.
Date and Puja Timings:
As per Drik Panchang, Lohri will be celebrated on 14 January this year. It means Makar Sankranti will be celebrated on Sunday, 15 January 2023. Moreover, the Lohri Sankranti tithi will be at 8:57 pm, while the Brahma Muhurta will be from 5:27 to 6:21 am.
Lohri is celebrated with great enthusiasm in homes that have recently hosted a marriage or witnessed a childbirth. People organise special functions on this day, with music and dance being an integral part of the festival. People wear the finest outfits to join dance and singing competitions.
Once the bonfire is lit, people sing and dance around it as well as offer food items like popcorn, puffed rice, and others to the holy fire. All such offerings are made to receive blessings from God.
Why is the festival celebrated?
As Lohri is celebrated to celebrate the end of winter, this festival is usually associated with the harvest of the rabi crops. The time to harvest sugarcane crops is in January, therefore, Lohri is considered a harvest festival. Farmers in Punjab see the day after the festival as the financial New Year.
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