Bonfires, Sunder mundriye, Peanuts and Gachak, all these aspects
make Lohri a fun festival. Falling on January 13th every year, Lohri is
about fun, celebration and the coming together of all, men, women as
well as kids. The Lohri day begins with children collecting money from
houses in the neighborhood. In the evening, winter savories are served
around a bonfire. Celebrated enthusiastically in Haryana, Punjab and
parts of Himachal Pradesh, it also signifies the beginning of the end of
winter.
Children go from door to door singing songs in praise of Dulha Bhatti,
a Punjabi version of Robin Hood who robbed the rich and helped the poor.
These "visitors" are given either money or gachak, bhuga, til,
moongphali, gur and rewri. A bonfire is lit and everyone gathers around
it. Munchies, collected from each house, go around the party and are
also thrown into the fire.
The festival assumes greater significance if there has been a happy
event in the family during the elapsed year, like the birth of a male
child or marriage. The family then plays host to relations and friends
wherein the eats take a back seat and merry-making takes over. It is
then time for bhangra, dhol, gidda and light-hearted flirtation. Thus
Lohri is all about preparing sweet delicacies, exchanging gifts and
merry making.
