16 Facts About Lohri

Lohri is a popular winter Punjabi folk festival celebrated primarily in Northern India.

The significance and legends about the Lohri festival are many and these link the festival to the Punjab region.

Lohri marks the end of winter, and is a traditional welcome of longer days and the sun's journey to the northern hemisphere by people in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent.

Lohri is an official holiday in Punjab, the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

Muhammad Tariq, former director of Faisalabad Arts Council, believes it is important to keep the festival alive as Lohri is celebrated in Pakistan Punjab and in Indian Punjab.

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Lohri is linked to the Vikrami calendar, and is celebrated the day before the festival of Maghi celebrated in the rest of India as Makar Sankranti.

Historical references to Lohri are mentioned by European visitors to the Lahore darbar of Maharaja Ranjit Singh such as Wade who visited the Maharaja in 1832.

Lohri is the celebration of the arrival of longer days after the winter solstice.

Lohri is an ancient mid winter festival originating in regions near the Himalayan mountains where winter is colder than the rest of the subcontinent.

The central theme of many Lohri songs is the legend of Dulla Bhatti whose father was a zamidar who lived in Punjab during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar.

Lohri was regarded as a hero in Punjab, for rescuing Punjabi girls from being forcibly taken to be sold in slave market of the Middle East.

Lohri rituals are performed, with the accompaniment of special Lohri songs.

Lohri is a great occasion that holds great importance for farmers.

In Punjab the harvest festival Lohri is marked by eating sheaves of roasted corn from the new harvest.

Collections gathered by the children are known as Lohri and consist of til, gachchak, crystal sugar, gur, moongphali and phuliya or popcorn.

Lohri is celebrated to denote the last of the coldest days of winter.