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Monday 14 April 2014

Lohri

Today  the festival which I have chosen is Lohri, which is very popular,especially with the children.
In freezing cold winter, when the mountain peaks are covered with thick snow, and the towns and cities below are surrounded with thick fog, every thing seems to be inactive. In such a weather you find people making preparations to celebrate a festival, which is soaked in merriment, laughter and gaiety. Yes, I am referring to Lohri. It is mid January, when the earth is farthest from the sun, it starts its journey towards the sun. People in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh  celebrate Lohri with great enthusiasm. 

In the morning, children go from house to house collecting money to light a bonfire at night. In the evening after sunset, bonfires can be seen at various places.                                
                                
lohri pictures , lohri sayings and quotes

People offer peanuts, popcorns, puffed rice and eatables to the fire. Every member of the family puts dried wooden sticks in the fire. These offerings are a prayer to the god of fire that there should always be plenty of food   for    everyone .


Men and women dance  with gaiety . There is great excitement on the first Lohri of a newlywed couple. It is celebrated with great pomp and show. A new born baby in the family  is also an occasion for jubilation. Lohri is also a time for merry making.

There is a folk song which has words to express gratitude to  Dulla.

The next day after Lohri, is celebrated as Makar Sankrant. It is believed to be the beginning of  a new year. Pongal, in Tamil Nadu, Bihu in Assam are also treated as the  beginning of a new year.

The attached video gives a glimpse of the Bhangra Dance.







Words 300
Pics courtesy Google(2)
Video YouTube                                                

31 comments:

  1. i used to think lohri n sankranthi are the same till date but nw i know! thanks for sharing maam :-)

    http://swathishenoy.blogspot.com/
    a-z participant

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  2. Another good one, Usha Ma'm :) What I like the most about this series is your simple way of explaining things. I've been part of Lohri celebrations when I was in the North ; this brings back so many good memories :)

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  3. I have only seen abt Lohri in movies, it was good to read abt it !

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  4. nice video! and nice insight into the harvest festival!

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  5. Have been part of it in Delhi. Its a riot of fun :)

    PhenoMenon
    http://throodalookingglass.com/2014/04/lamp-light/

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  6. Dear Ma'm, No doubt another good post on another Indian festival. However I see some amount of destruction of trees in the name of festivals by some insensitive citizens :-(. See the post http://hobbyofphotography.blogspot.in/2014/03/tree-cutting.html. Also request to visit my posts if time permits :-).

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    1. Thanks Jayanta I will definitely visit your site.

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  7. We have so many festivals...It makes me wonder about how diverse really our country is...

    L for loved-Random Thoughts Naba

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  8. Another great festival for celebrating! Loved hearing all about it. ♥

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    1. Thanks Kathy for the interest you are taking.

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  9. Another lovely festival in your festivalopedia ;)

    ~S(t)ri
    Participant|AtoZ Challenge 2014
    Smile, it makes (y)our day!

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  10. I love all the til goodies that we get to eat during Lohri. One of the festival that we celebrate with great gusto :)

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    1. Nice to hear that you celebrate this festival with great vigour.

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  11. I've also watched in movies and remember in Veer Zara. A beautiful post on Lohri where one can visualize the celebration that comes alive. You make me wanna assist proper Lohri festival, Ma'am

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  12. Had read about Lohri in my school books..but didn't knew anything more than that . Thanks for sharing with us :)

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    1. I am happy that I gave you first hand knowledge.

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  13. I love the bonfire during Lohri. The advantage of living in a cosmopolitan community like mine is we get to celebrate so many festivals :) Thanks for this insight into Lohri, Usha Madam :)

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  14. I celebrated lohri when I was in northern India. In my place we celebrate it as Magh Bihu

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  15. This is one of my favourite festivals. Maybe because I am a punjabi :) Another good post, Usha ji :)

    Beauty Interprets, Expresses, Manifests the Eternal

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  16. In South India and Karnataka, we celebrate Makar Sankranti, a harvest festival. I remember your earlier posts on Lohri

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    1. Thanks Reshma. Makar Sankranti is next day after lohri.

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