After the worldwide New Year celebration, here comes desi festival Lohri that marks a new beginning with joyous celebration around bonfires.
Mercury has dropped to the season's lowest. But chilling weather is never a problem when it comes to celebrating this high spirited festival of happiness and prosperity.
People of all age groups have their own part to play in this celebration.
Kids make groups and go door to door to ask for Lohri (some money or rewri and groundnuts) as they sing sundar mundariye (a Punjabi Lohri song).
Youngsters bring logs for bonfire and elders prepare saag, makki ki roti and gajjak for the feast.
Villagers gather to dance around a bonfire, singing boliyaan (folk songs) and eat rewri, gajjak and groundnuts in the middle of a field in a village to celebrate the harvest season and gain blessings of the Almighty.
The famous folklore of Dulla Bhatti, a guy from the time of Emperor Akbar is associated with this festival. He was known to steal from the rich and give to the poor. He was the Robinhood of that time. He used to rescue women slaves and marry them away to the village boys and use the stolen money as dowry. Two of the girls he rescued were called Sundri and Mundri. Hence, the song ‘sundar mundariye, hoye! Tera kaun vechaara! Dulla Bhatti waala!’
Celebration of Lohri festival is to mark the harvesting of Rabi crops in North India, especially Punjab and Haryana.
The festival is not only confined to villages now but is celebrated with equal zeal in urban areas. A child’s first Lohri and a newlywed couple’s first lohri are considered special and are celebrated with family and friends.
So this time, as the mercury drops, push your spirits high to celebrate Lohri. Bon appétit with bonfire.