Magic of Lohri night!
Magic of Lohri night!
A crackling bonfire with the flames dancing high and sparks flying in the air, rustic popcorn, roasted peanuts, rewari (round, sesame covered hard boiled sugar bits) and piles of nut filled, spice-infused gur (jaggery), happy faces, laughter and cheer is what comes to my mind when I think of January 13, or Lohri as we call it. I had thought of writing about it, this blog connects:
https://anupamaexcursions.blogspot.com/2024/01/time-to-wash-away-your-sins.html
So, here I am looking back into some narrow trails
of my memory.
There is no guessing game about the date of
Lohri. It is celebrated one day before Maghi or Makar Sankranti
by Hindus, Sikhs, and whoever is full of the spirit of celebration because it
is a cultural, and not a religious festival. It is celebrated in the whole of
northern India i.e. Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu, even Punjab
and Sindh regions of Pakistan. Lohri marks the beginning of longer days. One
old saying is ‘raat til til ghatdi hai, (nights shorten by the size of
sesame seeds). It also announces the beginning of harvest season.
A few days before the festival, neighbourhood
children get together and much like carol singers, start going from house to
house. If you hear the folk song:
Sundar, Mundriye, followed
by a chorus of Ho!
Tera kaun vichara? Ho!
you know what to do. You come out eagerly to
meet the youngsters collecting firewood, peanuts and other Lohri snacks for the
community celebration and money. One never says no to them. Most of the cash is
meant for the children themselves much like Eidi given to youngsters
during Eid. Honestly, I do not know about the present, but in the time I lived there,
nobody was stingy in Punjab.
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| Men beating the Dhol Photo: Wikipedia |
Of course, like everything
else, there are different versions on how the
festival started. Some say Lohri is derived from Loi, name of Saint Kabir’s
wife, while others think it is from Loh, the light and heat of the fire.
Yet the commonest belief is that
it celebrates the feats of Rai Abdullah Bhatti nicknamed Dulla Bhatti, Robin
Hood son of a zamindar (landlord) in the time of Mughal Emperor Akbar.
The story is that Dulla Bhatti saved Punjabi Hindu girls from being taken
forcibly to be sold in slave markets. He then arranged their marriages to boys
of the village, and provided them with dowries (from the money stolen from the
rich). The folk song tells of two girls Sundari and Mundari whom he saved. (See
box in the end.)
Celebrations: A bonfire is lit at night in a common place. (Gurudwaras and housing societies also arrange it). People come dressed in their best, do the parikrama (circle/walk around it), offer sesame seeds, popcorn, peanuts and sometimes sugarcane to the fire. It signifies burning/ending of the old year and starting afresh from the next day, the pious Makar Sankranti. People sing folk songs and dance Bhangra and Gidda to the beat of dhol. Our soldiers on the western borders also reportedly celebrate it with enthusiasm.
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| BSF jawans celebrate Lohri on the border. Photo: NDTV Archives |
Although in some
households, chicken and mutton are cooked as a ritual, most people eat only
vegetarian and stay teetotaller that day.
First Lohri: The first Lohri of a newborn or newlyweds in a family is an occasion for big celebration. The guests bring shagan (money or gift) for the new member of the family and the family gives small token gifts in return.
History: Interestingly, European visitors to Lahore darbar (court) of Maharaja Ranjit Singh mentioned Lohri. S L Suri, in his Chronicles of reigns of Maharaja Kharak Singh, Kanwar Nau Nihal Singh, Maharaja Sher Singh and Maharaja Dalip Singh, writes that Captain Mackeson described Maharaja Ranjit Singh distributing clothes and money on the day of Lohri day in 1836. Lighting of a huge bonfire in the Roral court in 1844 has also been mentioned.
Like many others who are from Punjab and are
living elsewhere, I miss Lohri celebrations and fear the pinging of happy
Lohri messages just because the senders have heard of this festival and
Whatsapp is free. Or somebody suddenly wishes Happy Lohri and I am tempted to,
but stop myself from correcting that it is लोहड़ी/ਲੋਹੜੀ
with the ‘rd’ sound.
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Sundar Mundriye, ho! Sundari Mundri, Tera kaun vicharaa, ho! Who will think about you? Kudi da jeeve Chacha! ho! May the girl’s paternal uncle live long! Chache choori kutti! ho! The uncle prepared choori! Lohri deo jee Lohri, Give us Lohri, jeeve tuhadi jodi! May you (married couple) live lon
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Aap sab nu Lohri diyan Mubarakan! (Happy Lohri to all of you!)
- Anupama S Mani
In Simla,where I was brought up, it was customary for the youngsters to be presented with garlands of dry fruits and nuts( e.g chilgoza,badam,akhrot,kishmish,copra etc). They also used to ask for jaggery and say it is bitter!
ReplyDeleteThank you . Can’t wait for Lohri and it’s community value.
ReplyDeleteCorrect, its a universal festival. We also distributed the garlands made out of Faras, fruits and nuts. Good old days!
ReplyDeleteGreat information. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Sir
ReplyDeleteIt's informative and Childhood memories were refreshed.
ReplyDeleteMadam, It is Very informative for me as I am not aware of this Lohri.Thank you
ReplyDeleteVery informative. I did not know this. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteNice madam.it is a similar festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu as BHOOGI
ReplyDeleteWow, such a heartfelt note on Lohri, brought the festival alive Ma'am 🤗.
ReplyDeleteHappy Lohri.
ReplyDeleteYour blog beautifully captures the essence, history, and vibrant traditions of Lohri. The storytelling is heartfelt, taking us on a nostalgic journey while celebrating the cultural richness of this joyous festival. A wonderful read.
ReplyDeleteNow I have the urge for sarson ka saag...
ReplyDelete