Do you know why "Lohri" is important?

LOHRI

Lohri is celebrated each year on the 13th (thirteenth) of January, it's a festival to worship fire. Lohri day is celebrated with great pomp by lots of people in India. At this time, the Sun enters into an auspicious period of Uttarayan from Dakshinayan. First Lohri is very important for the spouse and the newborn babies because it marks fertility. At night of the Lohri, all people gather around the bonfire and throw til (Sesame), puffed rice & popcorns into the flames of the bonfire. Prayers are offered to the bonfire seeking abundance & prosperity. People celebrate Lohri by dancing & singing traditional songs.

Though there is a common belief that Lohri is celebrated to mark the end of peak winter, this festival is traditionally related to the harvest of the rabi crops. Also, it is the traditional time to harvest sugarcane crops and therefore, Punjabi farmers celebrate Lohri (Maghi) because of their financial new year.

The rituals and celebrations associated with Lohri are merely symbols of a common thanksgiving to Nature, as demonstrated by the Sun God. In the process, the celebrations symbolize a sense of brotherhood, unity and gratitude, with family reunions and mingling, that creates a lot of happiness, goodwill and cheer. The first Lohri of a spouse and newborn is very important whether a girl or a boy is also equally important.

Lohri 2020

HOW TO CELEBRATE LOHRI

Lohri is a very important festival which brings the whole community together, each & every family contribute sweets, made from til and Gur, peanuts, tilchowli and lots of different delicious home-made dishes. The Guru-Granth sahib praises this fortunate time of the month and says people who meditate before a fire will be blessed. At the time of Lohri, winter marks the highest point, It is considered important for newborns and is carried around the bonfire.

Lohri is a joyous time to celebrate by eating Gur (jaggery) and Peanuts, singing songs and share the warmth of a bonfire with family and loved ones. A week before Lohri, children begin gathering firewood, looking for logs that may burn well. A spirit of brotherhood binds the community together. Everyone takes pride in making the biggest and most grand bonfire in their neighbourhood.

In the evening of Lohri, the fire of the bonfire blazes high and a circle of warmth surrounds the people on this cold winter's night. The wood burns and the people gather around, their faces glowing red and gold. Lohri is basically a festival dedicated to the Sun god as the Sun moves towards the Uttarayan, the new configuration bestows warmth to mother earth.

People pray for prosperity even as they make offerings of til (gingelly), moongphali (peanuts) and chiwda (beaten rice) to the burning embers. According to mythology, a good Lohri sets the tone for the whole year ahead — The more happiness there is, the more peace and prosperity will be. Some people believed that Holika and Lohri were sisters while the first one disappeared in the fire, Lohri survived and lives on.