Happy Lohri!

P. K. Rathore

@tinkerbe11

Dazzler

20

+ 2

Posted: 13 years ago

#1

Happy Lohri!

The Punjabi people believe that the days grow longer from this day onward, so we welcome it with a bang!

But of course it's become a celebration widely enjoyed all over India!

And if you're still not familiar with it, we can all refer to the famous Veer-Zaara scene, where Lohri was celebrated in Bollywood Cinema and became a fashionable trend.

It's that time where our Mums get in the Kitchen and make Makki di Roti and Sarson da Saag!

So just for a little useful information, I've pasted a bit of information about Lohri for anyone who would like to know more, apologies for not actually writing the next parts myself, but I'm doing this in a rush 😳

Dulla Bhatti

Over time, people have associated Lohri to the tale of Dulla Bhatti. The central character of most Lohri songs is Dulla Bhatti,who lived in Punjab during the reign of Emperor Akbar. He was regarded as a hero in Punjab. Besides robbing the rich, he rescued Hindu girls being forcibly taken to be sold in slave market of the Middle East. He arranged their marriages to Hindu boys with rituals and provided them with dowries. So every other Lohri song has words to express gratitude to Dulla Bhatti.

Dulla Bhatti was a rebel whose lineage was of Bhatti Rajputs . His anscestors were the rulers of Pindi Bhattian in Sandal Bar area of present day Pakistan.

Loi

Some people believe that Lohri has derived its name from Loi, the wife of Saint [Rohit Nandan Prajapati].

Loh

There is a legend amongst some people that Lohri comes from the word 'loh', a thick iron sheet tawa used for baking chapattis for community feasts.

Holika, Lohri and Prahlad

According to another legend Holika and Lohri were sisters. While the former perished in the Holi fire, the latter survived with Prahlad.

Til and Reodi

Eating of til (sesame seeds) and Reodi (jaggery) is considered to be essential on Lohri day. Perhaps the words til and rorhi merged to become tilorhi, which eventually got shortened to Lohri

Celebrating

During the day, children go from door to door singing folk songs in praise of Dulha Bhatti. These children are given sweets and savories, and occasionally, money. Turning them back empty-handed is regarded inauspicious.

The collections gathered by the children are known as Lohri and consist of til, gachchak, crystal sugar, gur (jaggery), moongphali (peanuts) and phuliya or popcorn. Lohri is then distributed at night during the festival. Till, peanuts, popcorn and other food items are also thrown into the fire.

The bonfire ceremony differs depending on the location in Punjab. In some parts, a small image of the Lohri goddess is made with gobar (cattle dung) decorating it, kindling a fire beneath it and chanting its praises. In other parts, the Lohri fire consists of cow dung and wood with no reference to the Lohri goddess.

The bonfire is lit at sunset in the main village square. People toss sesame seeds, gur, sugar-candy and rewaries on the bonfire, sit around it, sing and dance till the fire dies out. Some people perform a prayer and go around the fire. This is to show respect to the natural element of fire. It is traditional to offer guests til, gachchak, gur, moongphali (peanuts) and phuliya or popcorn. Milk and water is also poured around the bonfire by HIndu. This ritual is performed for thanking the Sun God and seeking his continued protection.

People take dying embers of the fire to their homes. Lohari is good festival of Punjab