LOHRI OF HOPE
People from different walks of life share how the meaning and celebration of the festival has changed with time
Bhangra tunes, Gidda beats, bonfire, puffed rice, peanuts, rewri, gajak, popcorns, sarson da saag, makki di roti and jaggery — Lohri is here! Traditionally associated with the harvest of rabi crops, it also heralds the beginning of the financial New Year for farmer community in Punjab.
Daljit Sean Singh, model and actor, says, “It’s a coming together of people to mark the year’s hard work and sometimes the gruelling winter coming to an end. People pay homage to the Sun God for spreading its warmth through the flames of the bonfire on this day and praying that our creation, in the form of a new rich harvest, be bountiful and benefits all.”
Singh feels the festival is a way to pay tribute and respect to the passing of winter and the coming of spring and the new crops it harvests. May we all be blessed by its bounty!
The origin of Lohri can also be traced back to the legend of Dulla Bhatti. Known to have rescued scores of Hindu Punjabi girls from being sold in the slave market by Mughal rulers, he is rightfully revered as the Robin Hood of Punjab. The famous song Sunder Mundriye Ho is a tribute to the valiant act of sacrifice by Dulla Bhatti and is sung by girls to express gratitude to their messiah.
The staples of the festival include lighting a large bonfire at sunset, tossing sesame seeds, jaggery, and sugar-candy in it and singing Lohri songs and dancing till the early hours of the morning. People throw sticks of sugarcane into the fire and an aroma of burning sugar spreads in the atmosphere. Girls light fireworks and sparklers. The fire’s glow lights up faces with a golden hue and people pray and hope for love, happiness and prosperity.