Lohri the festival of Punjab, Lal Loee Sindh Festival
Lohri is one of the most popular festivals for the Punjabis. Lohri can be considered as the harvest festival. Since Lohri is the time when the farmer would get the crop and would be having money .
Lohri
Different people have different stories of how the word Lohri was coined.
1) It is believed that the festival of the last day of winter solstice was named after the women Loi, wife of Saint Kabir
2) Some belived that Lohri was derived from the word Loh which means warm and light that comes from fire.
3) Til and Rorhi are the mandatory things that are eaten on the Lorhi day and some belive that TIlRorhi has translated to the present day Lohri.
Day on which Lohir is Celebrated
Lohri is supposed to be celebrated on the last day of winter Soliscte. But it is celebrated on the last day of the Paush month of the Bikram Calendar. Lohri falls on the day just befor the Makara Sankranti, the day when sun enters the zodiac sign of Capricorn. Lohri is celebrated on the last day of the Solar Dhanur Mas.
Season of Lohri
Lohri as said above is celebrated to mark the end of the winter season. The night of Lohri is considered to be the longest night of the year and the coming days would witness the increasing time of the sun in the day i.e day light increases.
Other names of Lohri
Sindis celebrated Lohri by the name of Lal Loee.
Rituals during Lohri
The preparations for Lohri start days before the Lohri day.
Women would go around to every house of the village and would ask for cow dung cakes while singing the folk songs of Lohri.
On the day before Lohri young people would go to their grand parents and uncles asking for wood. This wood is used to set up the bon fire on the Lohri day.
On Lohri day Goddess Lohri is prepared from the cow dung cakes and decorated. Pooja is performed to Goddess Lohri.
A bon fire with the wood that was brought by the young men would be lit and a ritual of circling the bon fire is observed. This is called Parikrama.
While the circling of Prikrama is being done food items like sugar candy, Sesame seeds, pop corn and rewaries are tossed into the fire. People would call out “Aadar Aaye dilather Jaye” which means “let prosperity come and poverty go”.
People would sing and dance around the fire. The dance is the natural Punjabi dance called Bhangra or Gidda. The songs are the Punjabi folk songs and mainly on the iconic Dulla Bhatti.
This celebration of Lohri goes on untill the bon fire is on. Once the fire subsides people would take the ember along with them as it is believed that this ember would bring them prosperity.
Legends of Lohri
Parikrama
It is believed that in ancient times people of Punjab would invoke the sun god by chanting hymns while circling the fire. This would make the sun god shine brilliantly and provide warmth. So this custom of circulating the fire and chanting still is continued and is celebrated as Lohri.
Dulla Bhatti
Dulla Bhatti was the common name of Rai Ali Khan Bhatti who was a brave Rajput king. He ruled Pindi Bhattian. He was the ruler who raised a revolution against the Mughal Emperor Akbar.
It is believed that after the revolution and Dulla Bhatti was defeated he became the Robin Hood of Punjab by stealing from the rich and distributing among the poor.
Dulla Bhatti also rescued girls from the clutches of the evil Mughal officials who used to sell them in the middle east.
Dulla Bhatti would get the rescued girls married to the boy of their like and give dowry and help them to sustain.
Dulla Bhatti was hero of the locals and all the Punjabi folk songs of Lohri are based on this iconic character Dulla Bhatti.
Recipies of Lohri
Kurmure Laddo , Bajra Kichidi, Makke Ki Roti, Til Barfi, Til Gajak, Wheat Ladoo, Sugar Cane Kheer, Til Chowli etc are the common recipes that are prepared as a part of Lohri.
Lohri in Other parts of India
Lohri is also celebrated in other parts of India by the name of Makara Sankranti, Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu, Thai Pongal.
