Lohri

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Lohri is celebrated to mark the start of end of winter season. Some people believe that earlier Lohri was celebrated on the eve of Winter solstice but with introduction of Bikrami calendar it was shifted to the last day of month Paush, a day before Makarsankranti festival. Either both the festivals are connected or different is not clear. Lohri has no mention in the Vedic literature so it can be said that it is a local cultural festival. It marks the harvesting of Rabi crops.

On the day of Lohri children sing songs and go door to door to collect sweets, money, and savories. Many children sing songs in praise of one honored thief who used to extricate the girls caught by landlords. This collection is consumed at night while sitting or dancing in front of bonfire. People toss ‘til’, peanuts, ‘gur’, etc. in the fire. Some devotees also pray to the fire on the occasion. People come in their vivid clothes to perform ‘Gidda’ and ‘Bhangra’ dance forms.

The recipes of Lohri festival are basically cuisines made of dry fruits or seeds. Dry fruit Chikki, Gajak, Pinnie and Kheer are the prime sweet dishes of the occasion. In now days people exchange best wishes through mail and greeting cards if the well wishers are at a distance.

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