Lohri The Bonfire Festival | How to Celebrate Lohri | Significance of Lohri Festival

Lohri is a well-known Punjabi festival and it is also one of the great Indian festivals. It is likewise referred to as the harvest festival in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Locals regard it as a welcoming event for the beginning of spring and send off time for wintry weather. On this day, people invoke, thanks and pay reverence to the Surya Devta (SunGod), Agni, or Fire. Community Bonfire, Til (Sesame seeds), Peanuts in their shell, Rohri or Gud, Rice, colorful clothes, people songs, and dance are critical parts of the celebration of Lohri Festival.

When Lohri is Celebrated

Lohri pageant is well known on the remaining day of the Hindu month Paush. It falls a day earlier than Makar Sankranti, with the Sun beginning its Northwards adventure and transit into the Sun sign of Makar (Capricorn). In Punjab Makar Sankranti is referred to as Maghi as the Hindu month of Magha or Magh starts off evolving on that day. Almost each year, the Lohri festival date is 13 January (as consistent with the Gregorian calendar), much like Makar Sankranti is on 14 January each 12 months. It is also referred to as the Lodi pageant.

Lohri is Celebrated in Which State?

Primarily the festival of Lohri is widely known within the nation of Punjab. But the states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh additionally have a good time at this joyous pageant. And now not best those states most of the Northern part of India rejoice Lohri with fervor.

Significance of Lohri Celebration | What is Lohri Celebrated For

Basically the Lohri festival is hooked up with the Solar year, imparting a farewell to the chilling iciness, which the nation of Punjab and Northern states of India go through. It is stated that the humans of the historic world prayed with Vedic mantras to thrill the Sun God to defend them in opposition to winter. On these days Lord Agni (Fire) and the Sun God are worshipped and following the traditions and rituals prayers and gratitude are supplied for the warmth of the Sun. The folk songs of Lohri thank Surya Devta, in particular for His return with warmth after winter.

The importance of this occasion is likewise to mark the bountiful harvest of Rabi crops. As The Sun starts off evolving transferring to the North, the sunlight hours period and heat increase which helps the seeds of vegetation sown in fields to sprout, that's a Lohri birthday party motive. It marks the beginning of a new monetary 12 months for farmers or agriculturists. It indicates prosperity, abundance, fertility, and celebrations through expressing joy for gifts from nature and the Divine. It is stated that the expression of gratitude to the Divine amplifies whilst we do it by using being joyous, satisfied and the essence of Lohri celebrations is precisely that. Lohri’s significance is also for married couples who benefit blessings in the event that they provide prayers to Sun God in the morning.

How to Celebrate Lohri | Rituals of Lohri Festival

The vibrancy of the celebration of the Lohri Festival is infectious. The network Lohri Bonfire is a symbol of Lohri celebration that is lit at Sunset, together with the earthy Punjabi people songs filling the air accompanied through Dhol and Manjeera, Bhangra dance performances, pleased faces, togetherness, and special food is what describes Lohri celebrations. It is a celebration that brings people together, meeting, speaking, celebrating, praying collectively which is a completely unique factor of Lohri festival. Lohri Punjabi festival is known as Bonfire festival with the aid of many, especially by way of people from overseas lands.

The Lohri fireplace represents a tribute to the Sun. Lohri functions as a Puja Parikrama around the Bonfire that's lit inside the huge-open fields and distribution of Prasad. Mantras which are chanted around the Bonfire are praises of gratitude supplied to the Sun God and it's far regarded as a formal ritual in this day. It is thought that the flames of the Bonfire convey their prayers. This also amounts to offering prayers to Agni for considerable plants and prosperity. A small idol consisting of Cow-dung or Gobar (in nearby language) representing Goddess Lohri is made and makes a song Her praises, it's miles lit with a fireplace.

Women and Men get dressed up in conventional, colourful garments and the women put on earrings and look beautiful. In the night the Lohri Bonfire is lit, family participants, loved ones, loved ones, friends accumulate encircling the Bonfire, which offers warm temperature within the wintry weather nighttime. Punjabi Folk Songs are sung collectively. The Dhol (an Indian Drum) beat caused anybody to participate in dancing. The Lohri songs are in praise and gratitude of Sun God, Fire, and also they sing songs of a legend who became Dulha Batti.

The guys dance the Bhangra and the women dance the Gidda. Til, Gur, Rewari, Sugar-candy(Misri), and Popcorn are tossed into the burning embers of the Lohri Bonfire. SpecialPunjabi songs, conventional songs, and dance performances are also organized. Newly Married couples circumambulate the Bonfire, offering Revadi/ Rewari, Peanuts and Popcorn,that's a ritualistic way of life of Lohri. The environment is glad and complete of mirth and until theBonfire is on, the festivity goes on. Later anybody eats dishes like Sarson ka Saag, Makki kiRoti, candies like Gajak, Til Gud Ladoos, Kheer, and many others.

A couple of weeks before Lohri, children cross from residence to residence singing praises of Dulla Bhatti and the people of the residence give them peanuts, sugar candy, Til, Gur, and some money.

How to Celebrate Baby’s First Lohri?

For newborn children and their parents, the day of Lohri is made special. The mother dresses up in step with the occasion and the newborn is also cutely dressed. The mother along with her new child in her arms is made to sit and pals, relatives bathe her with presents, fruits, and sweets.

Legend Behind Lohri Festival | History of Lohri Festival

The Lohri records are stated thus far again to the time whilst Mughal Emperor Akbar dominated India and the now legendary Dulla Bhatti. The Lohri story narrates the interesting gentleman DullaBhatti who changed into a dual carriageway Robber. He used to rob the rich and assist the needy with the money or wealth accumulated. During the reign of Emperor Akbar, Punjabi Hindu women/girls were forcefully being taken to the Middle Eastern nations for promotion within the slave marketplace. Dulla Bhatti rescued many such girls, got them married to appropriate Hindu guys, and paid them a dowry too.

Dulla Bhatti additionally led a rebellion towards Emperor Akbar and refused to pay tax as this magnanimous Robber refused to remember the Emperor's reign illegitimate. He raised a guerrilla conflict against King Akbar, which made the King/Emperor shift His Imperial capital toLahore(Pakistan). Later Dulla Bhatti changed into executed on orders from the Emperor. The Lohri story says that the day he became executed in public, to train a lesson and instill fear in humans. Butrather, the women lit Bonfire, sang, and danced around it, in reminiscence in their savior Dulla Bhatti.This became a practice each 12 months which gave delivery to the pageant of Lohri.

Another exciting fact about Lohri is its name. There are special variations of the story of Lohri. It is stated that during olden instances, the name became Tilorhi, a compound of Til (Sesame) and Rohri that means Gur. With time, the phrase came to be suggested as Lohri. May the celebration of Lohri bring joy to each person and burn away all that is not good.