Lohri arrives like a warm embrace after the harshest winter nights. Across North India, families and friends gather around glowing bonfires, sing old songs, dance to lively beats and share sweets. It’s a festival of harvest, hope and togetherness — a moment to celebrate the sun’s return and the promise of brighter, longer days.
What Lohri means
Lohri is a traditional harvest festival widely celebrated in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and in Punjabi communities across the country and abroad. At its heart, Lohri marks the end of the coldest part of winter and expresses gratitude for the rabi crop — especially the newly harvested sugarcane, wheat and mustard.
The festival brings a strong sense of community. People visit each other’s homes, exchange good wishes and offer thanks for the season’s bounty. For many, Lohri also carries personal milestones — weddings, newborns and other family celebrations are often honoured around the bonfire.
How people celebrate Lohri
Lohri’s rituals are simple, sensory and full of life. The bonfire is the centrepiece, and everything else revolves around it.
- The bonfire: Families and neighbours gather around a large fire, throw handfuls of puffed rice, popcorn, sesame seeds and rewri into the flames and offer prayers for prosperity and health.
- Music and dance: Live dhol beats, Punjabi folk tunes and energetic Bhangra and Giddha performances keep the night alive. People clap, sing traditional Lohri songs and encourage even the shyest guests to dance.
- Food and sweets: A spread of seasonal treats — gur (jaggery), peanuts, poppadoms, gajak, rewri and roasted corn — is shared. These simple flavours connect everyone to the harvest and to each other.
- Community spirit: Households often visit neighbours, and groups of children go from door to door, singing and collecting treats — a joyful echo of many similar winter traditions around the world.
Traditional foods to look for
- Gajak and rewri — sesame- and jaggery-based sweets
- Peanuts and popcorn — tossed into the fire or shared as snacks
- Makki di roti and sarson da saag — rustic Punjabi favourites that suit the season
- Gur (jaggery) — symbolic of the sweet harvest and shared generously
Bollywood’s connection to Lohri
Lohri has long been woven into the fabric of Hindi cinema. Filmmakers use Lohri sequences to show family warmth, weddings, rural life and community celebrations. The imagery of bonfires, colourful turbans, swirling dupattas and exuberant Bhangra makes for memorable scenes on screen.
Apart from films, the festival gets a modern public stage through social media. Bollywood celebrities often post celebratory moments with family and friends, bringing a touch of glamour to traditional rituals. These glimpses help keep Lohri contemporary and visible to younger audiences while preserving its cultural roots.
Why Lohri still matters
In fast-moving urban lives, Lohri acts as a pause — a night to reconnect with family, to remember the land and to celebrate simple joys. It’s a reminder of our dependence on nature’s cycles and of the importance of sharing prosperity.
For farmers, Lohri is a heartfelt thanks for the harvest. For city dwellers and the diaspora, it’s an opportunity to recreate home, culture and memory. Across generations, the festival fosters a feeling that winter is retreating and better days are on their way.
Lohri is more than a festival of flames — it’s a warmth that gathers people together, a melody that invites everyone to dance, and a hopeful message that spring and plenty are near.