Festivals goona Starts with Lohri 2021
Lohri is primarily celebrated in the Punjab region by Sikhs and Hindus. Lohri is a traditional winter folk festival celebrated in India by people specifically in the North zone. It is a festival of joy that commemorates the passing of the Winter Solstice and looks forward to longer days as the sun journeys towards the northern hemisphere. Each year, the festival is observed on the night before Makar sakranti.
There are several tales surrounding the origin of the Lohri festival. After weeks of harvesting the Rabi crop, people would gather around a bonfire and celebrate the passing of the winter solstice and the promise of the coming spring season. The festival is also dedicated to the Surya, as on this day the devotees expect it's returning after the cold winter days and ask it for warmth and sunshine.
Each year the festival of Lohri is celebrated with the traditional bonfire. In India, most festivals are witness that people visits to their family and friends and distributing sweets etc., Lohri celebrations are marked by people gathering at a common place and set up a huge bonfire with various kinds of sweet on display for eating together.
In Punjab, the festival is celebrated by eating sheaves of roasted corn from the new harvest. As the January sugarcane harvest also wraps up during this time, many sugarcane products such as gurh and gachak are the main food for this celebration. No Lohri festival is complete without the energetic moves of Bhangra and Gidda and some people also decorate their homes.
Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, the spirit of Lohri carries on as people connect over zoom calls with their family members to mark the celebrations of this festival. Here's wishing everyone a bright and cheerful Lohri!