Lohri 2016

Lohri

Indian festivals are, more often than not, larger than life. It could be attributed to the fact that we love to celebrate as a community but it perhaps goes deeper than that. There are so many communities that co-exist within the Indian cultural web that it is these festivals and associated rituals that tell them apart and yet bring them together. The winter may have skipped parts of India this year but with Lohri, it's time to slip into the festive mode once again.

Traditioanlly, Lohri Festival celebrates the onset of the harvest season in Punjab. People celebrate on this day to offer thanks to god for the precious crops before they begin harvesting them. It is also believed that Lohri night is the longest night of the year. This belief has scientific backing as well. It is known as the winter solstice. Closer home, according to the lunar calendar, Lohri Festival also marks the end of the coldest month of the year as the earth now starts to turn towards the sun.

Rituals and Traditions around Lohri

The traditions around the festival appropriate and soulful. You build a bonfire, preferably a community bonfire as everyone gathers around it. The flames warm your cold hands whereas lively conversations serve the soul. A platter full of gajak, chikki, puffed rice and popcorn is circulated amongst the people. Some munch on the goodies whereas a few throw them into the fire. This ceremonial throwing food-stuff into the fire is an interesting ritual and perhaps the cynosure of this festival. It symbolises Agni, the God of Fire.

As you gather around, sing songs and bung in foods like gajak, chikki, puffed rice, popcorn, rewri, sesame seeds, jaggery, peanuts and sugarcane into the fire, you pay homage to your roots, in a matter of speaking. These offerings are thrown in as an offering to the gods and to ask them to bless everybody with abundance and prosperity.

What to Eat on Lohri

Lohri Festival celebrates the harvest of rabi crops, those which are sown in the winter. It thus follows that winter foods like sarson (mustard leaves), sesame, whole wheat and spinach are an integral part of the festival. As part of the festivities, dinner is served after the bonfire ritual. The dinner typically includes Sarson ka Saag and Makki ki Roti, Punjabi winter treats loved everywhere in the world.

How did Lohri Get its Name?

Til and rorhi (jaggery) are eaten as traditional festive foods. The words til and rorhi together make 'tilorhi', which eventually got rechristened to Lohri. These belly-warming foods are known to cleanse our bodies and boost them with renewed vigour as we step into a seasonal change.

According to folklore, the flames of the fire are known to carry messages to the sun which is why the day after Lohri is warm and sunny bringing an end to gloomy, winter days. The following day is celebrated as Makar Sankranti to mark the beginning of bright days ahead. Lohri marks the downfall of Winter, so as to speak.

With winter almost giving North India a miss this year, we still welcome Lohri with open arms. This sputtering bonfire celebration is all about bonhomie and togetherness. A day to warm your hands, and your hearts.