Lohri 2023: Significance, importance, date & time to celebrate

India is a country of diversity, many religions live here, and enjoy the celebration of all the festivals with pomp and gaiety. While people celebrate Lohri on the winter solstice, it increases the light of the next day after Lohri. People believe that it brings a happy dawn of hope. It is a harvest festival that Sikh people celebrate with great enthusiasm, and you may see its vibe mostly in Punjab and Haryana. Lohri 2023 celebrations begin early in the morning, and people greet each other with great enthusiasm.

This day is also a symbol of the end of winter and signifies the harvesting of Rabi crops. Lighting a bonfire during the night is the main ritual of the Lohri festival. Some even hold a signing ceremony or dance competition near their home. Moreover, this festival is an auspicious occasion for newly-married couples to participate in the rituals of celebration and seek blessings from their elders. Usually, the festivities fall in January, and people celebrate them enthusiastically. Let us know about the complete information related to this festival.

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Lohri 2023 date and time

Lohri 2023 will fall on January 14, 2023, Thursday. And the Lohri Sankranti Moment would be at 08:57 PM.

The historical significance of Lohri

Over time, people have also associated Lohri with the story of Dulla Bhatti. He is the main character of many songs that express gratitude to him for helping people. He lived in Punjab during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar and was considered a hero in Punjab.

In addition to robbing the rich, they forcibly took away poor Punjabi girls from the Sandal Bar area to be sold in slave markets in the Middle East. He arranged their marriages with eligible boys and provided them with financial and material support. Two of them were girls Sundari and Mundri (married in 1614), who gradually became central to the main theme of Punjabi folklore.

Significance of Lohri

On the Vikrami calendar, folks celebrate this day as Maghi Sangrand in the Punjab region. It is to commemorate the passing of the winter solstice. And hence, the festival is to welcome the new financial year of farmers, according to the Bikrami calendar. On this day, new agricultural tenancy starts, and rent is collected. Hence, marks the beginning of a new financial year.

This day is one of the most famous festivals in Punjab and Haryana. But now, it is widely celebrated by Hindus as well. This festival is now massively popular among different regions of our country. Everyone celebrates it with great joy and enthusiasm. Lohri is like a thanksgiving festival, as farmers show their gratitude to the almighty for good abundance and a bountiful harvest.

Lohri is known as Bhogi in Andhra Pradesh, a day before Makar Sankranti. On this day, people remove all the old and useless things. They purchase new things to bring change into focus.
Along with these, folks also sacrifice all bad habits and thoughts in Rudra Gyan Yagya or the holy fire. It represents the purification and transformation of the soul by imbibing and imbibing divine qualities.

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What to offer on Lohri this year?

Let us tell you that during the day, children go door to door singing folk songs and collecting sweets and snacks, and sometimes money. It is inauspicious to return the children empty-handed. The collection includes sesame, crystal sugar, gajak, jaggery, peanuts, and popcorn.

What the children collect is Lohri, which people divide and distribute amongst each other at the night. People light a bonfire and throw the distributed Lohri into the bonfire along with some other food items like peanuts, jaggery, etc. They all sit together and enjoy this night by singing Lohri songs. Also, the Lohri night ends with a traditional feast of Sarson ka saag, Makki di roti, and kheer. Kite flying is also popular in some parts of Punjab on this day.

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Songs and their importance in Lohri 2023

Lohri songs play an important role in the celebration, representing the joy and enthusiasm filled inside a person. Everyone celebrating this festival is enjoying these songs. Singing and dancing form a vital part of the festivities. These songs are like traditional folk songs, sung to thank God for a rich harvest and good abundance. Lohri songs also memorize the Punjabi warrior Dulla Bhatti. People wear their bright clothes and come to dance the Bhangra and Giddha to the beats of Dhol. There is a program of dancing around the bonfire to the beat of drums.

Importance of Lohri for farmers

This day also holds an important place in the life of farmers as it forms an association with the harvesting of rabi crops. Sugarcane products, for example, jaggery, are central to Lohri festivities, as are the nuts harvested during this period. Farmers, with their families, pray for bountiful crop production in the coming year. Punjabi farmers observe the next day of Lohri as the financial new year. On this festival, new agricultural tenancy starts, and landlords collect the rent.

Importance of bonfire in Lohri celebrations

It varies depending on the region of Punjab. In some places, people make the Lok Lohri goddess of cow dung and lit fire under it. They praise and sing in front of it. However, in many places, the Lohri fire consists of cow dung and wood, and there is no reference to the goddess.

People light up the bonfire and gather around to start the festival rituals. They put sesame seeds, jaggery, sugar candy, and rewdi on the bonfire. Plus, they sit around it. They sing and dance until the fire goes out.

Some people pray and go around the fire. It is to show respect for the natural element of fire. People also pour milk and water around the bonfire.

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How to celebrate Lohri in 2023?

Lohri is festive of enthusiasm in those homes where marriage or childbirth has happened recently. Most North Indians perform special Lohri celebrations. Since music and dance are two important parts of this day, people dress up in the best costumes to participate in dance and singing competitions.

• You can begin the preparations for the festival about 10 to 15 days in advance.
• For the Lohri bonfire, you may go to the countryside for harvesting.
• Store products such as grain and jaggery and exchange them with the people at night during the bonfire celebrations.
• After lighting the bonfire, people sing and dance around it and offer popcorn, puffed rice, popcorn, and other food items as a tribute to the good. All these offerings are to seek blessings from the Lord.
• Like every festival, this festival is also incomplete without eating something delicious. So, you may make saag and Makki di roti, gur ki roti, til ki barfi panjiri, makhana ki kheer, laddu tak, pinni, gond laddu, and many more.

Other facts to know about Lohri 2023

• It is a Hindu solstice festival: Lohri is a winter solstice festival in India. It is the Indian equivalent of Christmas or Yuletide. However, it comes later due to seasonal differences in the place of origin.
• The longest night of the year: Ever wondered why people perform all the rituals and celebrations only after sunset? It is because the day of Lohri is the longest and the shortest. However, after Lohri 2023, the days will get longer.
• The significance behind the name: People believe that Lohri is named after Goddess Lohri, the sister of Holika. If we go beyond the traditional point of view, the name forms a combination of til (sesame) and rodhi (jaggery). Moreover, one of its meanings comes from the word “Loh,” which means light and comfort of fire.
• Beginning of the financial year: Lohri marks the beginning of the new financial year. Traditionally, farmers collect income from winter crops on this festival. It is still an important custom in the Sikh community.

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