Harvest Festivals In India: Celebrating Lohri – Festival Of Punjab

By Mamta Pabreja

Lohri is one of the favorite festivals celebrated by the people who belong to the Punjabi community. This festival is celebrated on the evening of January 13th every year. The festival originated in the state of Punjab and now it is celebrated in the entire nation and outside wherever Punjabis are.

Lohri Celebrations And Traditions

While celebrating Lohri, all family members light fire and sit around it. The festival starts when all the family members form a circle around the fire and start revolving around it. These revolutions around the fire are known as ‘Agni Ke Phere‘. While moving around they murmur a special Mantra known as the ‘Gayatri Mantra‘.

With each round they sacrifice a mixture of 5 edible elements. As each round is completed they loudly proclaim ‘Swaha‘ while putting the sacrificial element into the flames. This sacrifice is known as ‘Aahuti‘. This process is repeated 7 times.

How Kids and Family Celebrate Lohri

After completing this ritual, the kids dance around the fire and sing and play with each other. Since the weather is quite cold in this season everyone enjoys the warmth of the fire.

Family members sit together around the fire and they sing, talk and have fun while enjoying the taste of the mixture remaining after sacrificing it in the fire. This mixture is known as ‘Prasad‘ and is treated with respect considering it as the fruit from the Fire God (Agni Deva).

During Lohri kids dance around the fire and sing and play with each other

How Newly Wed Couples And Their Families Celebrate

In Punjabi families, Lohri is an important festival and people love celebrating it. In Indian culture, marriage is treated as a religious act and the newly wedded wife as a blessing from God. With this in mind all the family members who are related to the newly wedded couple celebrate Lohri by throwing huge parties. Guests are invited and a dinner feast is organized.

After celebrating Lohri – after the ‘Agni Ke Phere‘ and ‘Aahuti‘ – all the guests give the newly wedded couples their blessings and good wishes along with the gifts they present to the couples. The children sing and dance around the fire and everyone enjoys the evening of Lohri.

The tradition of Lohri is quite old but, even today, is celebrated with the same respect and enthusiasm by Punjabi families all around the globe. As this festival is celebrated in winter, the atmosphere is chilly and everyone enjoys sitting near the fire, making it a comfortable and relaxing time for the entire family.

Get more information about Lohri celebrations and learn more about Indian Festivals at www.happydiwali.org

Kids Activity Resources:

365 Kids Games – 365 surefire ways to keep the kids entertained, every day of the year. Discover the secrets to keeping your kids entertained in a cheap and fun easy way.
Winter Child Treasure Hunt Game – Many moms would like to plan a treasure hunt, but are daunted by the planning and the preparation. Children love treasure hunts and this is the easy way to create an enthralling winter party game. This is the easy way to create a unique and exciting treasure hunt game that will have the children talking for ages.
Inspirational Kids Stories: Stories For Kids With A Moral – Teach your kids life’s values through the stories of this ebook. Contains messages guaranteed to nurture and inspire your children, from being kind to animals to ‘don’t talk to strangers’ and loving your parents.

Lohri festivities in Punjab