Festival File (Lohri)

 

Sport the Colours, Say Prayers & Savour the Flavours of Lohri

The months spanning December to February ring in the winter festivities to bask in. The period also infallibly sustains faith at heart via the observance of grand religious ceremonies by a loyal congregation. The sacred bonfire, crispy popcorn, sesame seeds, rewri sweets, silky tille ka salwar suits, syrupy brownish gur, the burst of mirth and chatter around, the cold nip in the air, the quintessential carnival fervour — all announce the advent of the delightful harvest festival Lohri.

By PRAMITA BOSE

Green Gift From the Blue Planet

Lohri’s significance lies in its wealth of abundant agricultural produce as it is during this phase that farmers and growers harvest winter or Rabi crops, especially sugarcane.

 “This is a golden opportunity to propitiate the heavens and express our gratitude for their shower of presents in the form of a granary replenished with wheat, barley, mustard, grams, peas, etc.,” enthuses a peasant based in the outskirts of Gurugram.

Photo Credit: Pexels.com

Holy Blaze

The bonfire in the middle of the lawns forms the focal point of Lohri celebrations. It symbolises the consignment of all negative energies and filth to the flames on one hand, and the acceptance of hope and new beginning on the other. This buoys optimism, and burns the unwarranted elements and vices.

“We move over to the future from the past memories with new expectations. You can only start anew if you decide to discard the old, torn and tattered bits of life,” asserts 19-yearold college student Kirti Gupta.

As per legends, the land tillers from the participating communities worship and pray to the Sun God (Surya Devta) and Fire God (Agni) seeking their agrarian affluence so that they could reap in heaps what they have cultivated prior to the winter season. It involves their thanksgiving gesture for a generous output. The invited kith and kin gather around to pay a tribute to Mother Nature for bestowing them with peace and prosperity.

Cuisine and Culture

“The fest has evolved over time no doubt and has even transcended the rural roots to reach the retail outlets of a metropolis’s posh business hubs. Despite all this, the young and the old alike don’t forget to surround the fire, singing and dancing around and throwing down popcorn, sesame seeds, gur (jaggery) and rewri (sweets) into its scorching orange flames. We thus try and keep the original spirit alive,” claims homemaker Aruna Bali.

“This is one of those occasions when we rustle up the popular customary Punjabi recipes sarson da saag and makke di roti in our kitchens to woo everyone’s palate. Moreover, the womenfolk dot the courtyards with ornate patterns and line the same with their hand-drawn rangoli designs in attractive, vibrant colours,” chips in middle-aged entrepreneur Sangeeta Sharma.

There’s good news for the music lovers too to indulge in some fun-filled ethnic steps and tunes! Revellers troop in to sway to the rhythms of conventional bhangra and gidda and the pulsating beats of the dhol.

“Even yuppie urbanites with stylish youngsters of the Gen-Zee bracket as well as suave city-bred millennials flock to clubs and pubs to celebrate Lohri their way,” confirms IT-sector employee Karan Mehra, who’s a frequent pub-hopper. 

Festive Fashion

People fish out their crease-free, ironed gorgeous finery from the trunks to slip into. “Bright velvety suits and smart co-ord sets with aesthetic gotta patti and phoolkari embroidery are in vogue this season. The traditional tilla pherans and kameezes are also flying fast off the shelves. Automatically, sales surge on special occasions,” confirms a local trader from the crowded Sarojini Nagar market that’s bustling with shoppers to purchase their last-minute picks.  

Family Bonding

Lohri helps cement ties between the near and dear ones, close pals plus neighbours with the message of unity and brotherhood.

“It offers a perfect plea to wish everyone you cross paths with and hand out tokens of love by distributing sweets and gifts. We meet and greet friends as well as the extended members of our families. There is always a wholehearted effort to welcome the change of season that is signalling the phasing out of winter to the imminence of spring,” shares Delhi-based PR professional Jasleen Kaur. 

Loving Thy Neighbour

Lohri is an apt excuse to spend and enjoy quality time, build relations and plant the seeds of togetherness. As part of Lohri celebrations, children visit homes next door and across the adjoining vicinity rendering traditional folk melodies led by solo vocals followed with chorus lines. Post performance, the elderly heads of households grant gifts, blessings and goodies to the kids.

“We look forward to collecting money and tucking in to the treats that come with a personal touch. I even like flying kites high up in the air from our terrace and balcony,” gushes teenage schoolgoer Sashank Dutt. Incidentally, this practice reflects the “true community sentiment, warmth and kindness,” he adds further with excitement.

Lohri Lore 

Among the kaleidoscopic array of regional and national festivals, Lohri is widely celebrated this time around in Punjab and parts of North India (Duggar region to be precise) as a prominent folk festival amid huge pomp and show. This New Year, Lohri is slated to be observed come Monday Jan 13, 2025, mainly by Hindus and Sikhs, and some Muslims too in West Punjab (now in Pakistan).

Lohri marks the culmination of winter. It is celebrated on the longest night of the year, the winter solstice (Dec 22: when the North Pole is tilted away from the sun to its farthest limit, approaching the shortest day and the lengthiest night), thus ushering in the return of longer and sunnier days. It tracks the solar route to the Northern Hemisphere. 

Lohri Legend 

A fabled folklore relates Lohri to the heroic tale of gallant Dulla Bhatti (Rai Abdullah Bhatti), a zamindar (landlord) who existed during the era of Mughal Emperor Akbar’s reign. Bhatti’s valour in rescuing Punjabi belles from being trafficked in the Middle East’s slave market and busting the racket is immortalised in numerous Lohri songs and is still performed.

People’s Feast 

Lohri dabs those auspicious shades to paint the town red and help tossing up some relishing delicacies to tease the taste buds with.

It is a community fiesta to revel in — embracing positivity, vanquishing evil force, soaking up the goodness like a sponge, cladding people in the colours of cleanliness and purity, and garnering the rich output of earlier-sown food grains.  

Date With Divinity 

With the dawn of this New Year, the spiritual populace of India is seeking divine blessings like never before. The stage is set for the country’s multi-cultural fabric with its diverse socio-economic demographics to don the pristine colours this chilly season to bathe in its current flavour — the religious festivities. All roads are leading to the sacred sites with people swarming to the designated venues.

The religious calendar is swamped with a variegated marquee of festivals and elaborate rites to partake in. The almanac this season is choc-a-bloc with events galore.

Sacred Sites 

The winter months of January-February will witness droves of pious devotees submerging their shivering heads under the rippling waters of the confluence of three great rivers — Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati — in Prayag Raj, which gears up to play host to the spectacular international pilgrimage at the Maha Kumbh Mela after 12 years.

This apart, the annual Ganga Sagar Mela celebrating Poush/Makar Sankranti in the east, the Lohri festival of Punjab in the north, the Bhogali/Magh Bihu observed by Assam and the remaining states of seven sisters in the north east, the Pongal fest of Tamil Nadu down south, et al have bonded the devout Indians like tiny beads on a beautiful single rosary.

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