Essay on Lohri Festival

Lohri Festival

Festivals are the means of enjoyment and fun. We all love celebrating different festivals. Isn’t it true? Moreover, we all love one or the other festivals as our favorite ones. There are different types of festivals celebrated in India. It is because of the diversity of the people in the nation. The diversity of people in India is the reason for different types of culture and traditions in the nation. People living in different parts of the nation celebrate different festivals according to their own culture and tradition. Every festival celebrated in the nation has its own significance behind its celebration.

10 Lines Essay on Lohri Festival of Punjab

1) Lohri is the main festival of Punjab.

2) Every year Lohri is celebrated on 13 January in India.

3) The North Indian states like Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh mainly observe this festival.

4) ‘Dulla Bhatti’ is one of the famous stories associated with the Lohri celebration.

5) This festival remarks the ending of the winter season.

6) It is a harvest festival in which people thank God for the good harvest.

7) Flying kite is the main tradition on this day.

8) In the evening, people gather at one place and bonfires were lit up.

9) People celebrate this festival by singing and dancing around the bonfires.

10) Various sweet dishes made up of sesame and jaggery are prepared on this day.

Long Essay on Lohri Festival of Punjab in English

I think that you all have heard about Lohri that is the famous festival of Punjab. This topic is very important for the school students and different competitive exams. I have provided a detailed essay on this topic. It will be an aid to students of classes 1-12, and college students in helping them to write an essay on Lohri Festival of Punjab.

1700 Words Essay : Lohri – A Popular Winter Folk Festival 

Introduction

India is a country where people celebrate different types of festivals throughout the year. There might be no month in a year that would have no festivals in it. Every festival is celebrated by performing its rituals according to the specific culture and tradition. There are many festivals in the nation that is related to a particular community or religion but is celebrated by the people throughout the nation with great joy. Lohri is also a famous festival celebrated in India. The essay provided below will elaborate on the festival of Lohri, when it is celebrated, its importance, way of celebration, etc.

What is Lohri?

Lohri is a festival that is categorized as a folk festival of India and is celebrated every year on 13th January. This festival of Lohri is mainly celebrated in Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh states situated in North India. Yet, it is marked as the famous festival of Punjab as the legends and mythologies related with the celebration of the festival are linked to the region of Punjab state. The festival is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, and some Muslims. In past, the celebration of the festival of Lohri was restricted to the region of Punjab but at present, it is celebrated in different parts of India and the world.

Mythology/History Behind Celebrating Lohri

The celebration of the festival of Lohri came has its existence from the establishment of the Indus valley civilization. The festival is celebrated by the people since those times. There are several mythologies and stories linked with the origin of the festival. Many have a religious connection while others are related to the old culture and tradition. Dulla Bhatti’s tale is stated as the most popular and accepted story behind celebrating the festival of Lohri.

Story Of Dulla Bhatti- 

  • Dulla Bhatti was a dacoit during the time of the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar. He lived in the forest area named Rakh that was near Sialkot. He used to rob the rich people and distribute the looted material among the poor ones. This act made him popular and savior of poor and needy people of that region. Once he saved two girls named Sundari and Mundari from being presented to the Mughal emperor service. Dulla Bhatti married those girls with young boys of his religion. He enchanted the song and mantras by himself during the marriage and those songs are sung in Lohri till date.
  • There are also legendry tales that state that the Lohri word has originated from the name ‘Loi’ that was the name of the famous poet Sant. Kabir Das.
  • The tale was popular that the fire was burnt by people in the past to keep them safe from the attack of carnivorous animals. The materials like dry wood, cow dung cakes, leaves, etc for the burning of the bonfire were collected and brought by the younger boys and girls. The same tradition of burning fire on the festival of Lohri is practiced till date.

Lohri Celebrated With Different Names

It is evident that Lohri is the famous festival of Punjab and is celebrated by the people of Punjab with great fervor and joy. Lohri is also stated by different names such as Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Makar Sankranti in U.P, Bihar, and West Bengal, Bihu in Assam, and Thai Pongal in Kerela. This festival is celebrated by people living in different parts of India according to their own culture and traditions.

Importance Of Festival Of Lohri

I hope that the question ‘Why do we celebrate the Lohri festival’ has often come to your mind. The festival of Lohri has great significance behind its celebration. The festival of Lohri is celebrated a day before the Maghi that is also termed as the Makar Sankranti according to the Vikrami Calendar. The festival is signified as a harvest festival and commemorates the harvesting of the winter crops. The celebration of the festivity marks a goodbye to the winter season. It marks the onset of longer days and shorter nights. It happens because of the movement of the sun to the northern hemisphere.

Lohri is stated as a harvest festival as it marks the harvest of the Rabi or winter crops like sesame, jaggery, radish, mustard, spinach, rice, etc. People prepare sweet dishes like revari, gajak, etc using the newly harvested products. The celebration of Lohri is done to pray and thank god for a good harvest at present and to pray bestow his blessings in the future too.

Celebration Of Lohri Festival

The festival of Lohri is celebrated with great enthusiasm and joy in the Punjab state of India. People celebrate the festivity according to the culture and traditions by performing all the rituals. They spend a good time with family and friends. There are certain rituals that are performed while celebrating the beautiful festival of Lohri and those rituals are mentioned below:

  • Collection Of Logs For The Bonfire- There is a provision of collecting the wood logs by the young boys and girls from 15 days before in different regions of Punjab. The children go to the nearby places to collect the wood longs that are used on the day of the festival in the lighting of the bonfire.
  • The Lighting Of Bonfire- It is a provision of lighting a bonfire on this festival and is prevalent from ancient times. The fire is lit in the evening and the food harvested in the season is fed into it. People assemble at one place in the evening and then the bonfire is lit up by them. Fire is believed to be a form of god and thus it is worshipped. People thank god for the good harvest and thus they put the newly harvested crops into the fire. People wear new clothes on this occasion and dance around the fire. They also sing the popular Lohri songs and enjoy the dishes made from Jaggery, Gajak, Sesame Seeds, etc.  The food offered as in the fire is distributed as Prasad to everybody after the celebration. People remain near the bonfire till it goes off. Many people also perform prayers and go around the fire to worship the fire god. People also spray milk and water around the bonfire as gratitude to the sun god and ask God to grant his blessing in the future too.
  • Bhangra and Gidda Dance- Bhangra and Gidda are the traditional folk dances of the state of Punjab. The people of Punjab perform the folk dance of Bhangra and Gidda after the burning of the bonfire. The women and men sing, dance, and enjoy together. They also dress in a traditional way.
  • Rituals Of Lohri Festival- It is a ritual in Punjab that the children on the day of the festival visit door to door singing the Lohri songs. They get sweets, dishes, and money from the people. They do not return without anything on this day as it is considered an ill omen. The collected items from different houses are termed as Lohri and are distributed among all.

The Trend Of Lohri Celebration At Present

The celebration of Lohri at present also takes place by performing all the rituals involved in the festival. There are some of the changes that have been induced in the celebration of the festivity. Earlier people only exchanged the sweet dishes they prepared on this occasion. Nowadays, people give gifts to each other at the festival. Mostly the elders provide gifts to all the younger ones. The younger ones receive gifts and blessings from their elders. Gifts are also exchanged among friends and relatives too.

The Tradition Of Kite Flying In Lohri

There is a famous tradition of kite flying or organizing kite flying competitions in the festival of Lohri. Kite flying competitions are organized at different levels on the occasion of the festival of Lohri. There are awards of prize money distributed to the winners of the kite flying competitions held in different regions of the nation. It is believed that kite flying makes people come into the sunlight and that is good for health during the winter months. Moreover, the beautiful kites decorating the sky on this day are meant for thanksgiving to the Sun god for his blessings.

Is Lohri a Religious Or Harvest Festival?

Lohri is a festival that is celebrated at the beginning month of the year. It is basically stated as an important festival of Hindus and Sikhs. There are some popular religious stories behind the celebration of this festival. Moreover, the festival marks the end of winters and the onset of the spring season. It is the time for harvesting the Rabi crops by the farmers. Harvest festivals are commemorated when crops are ready to be cut. They are celebrated by different names in different parts of the nation. Therefore, Lohri is stated as the harvest festival of Punjab. The rituals in the festivity mainly include the rituals of thanksgiving to the Sun, earth; fire God for granting a good harvest season. Moreover, people also pray that this blessing may last forever. Thus, it will be more appropriate to state Lohri as a harvest festival rather than calling it a religious festival.

Why Do Farmers Celebrate Lohri?

India is an agriculture-dominated nation and more than 60% of people in the nation are farmers and depend on agriculture for earning their livelihood. Lohri is a harvest festival that mainly commemorates the harvest of Rabi crops. It is therefore stated as an important festival for farmers. The farmers on this day celebrate the good harvest of the Rabi crops. They thank God for showering his blessings on them and continue this for the future too. They worship to Sun, earth, and fire on this day and give a first offering of the newly produced crops in the bonfire lighted during the evening on the day of the Lohri celebration.

Conclusion

Festivals teach us to forget all kinds of enmity and live together with each other. It also helps us to know respect our culture and tradition.  Lohri is the most awaited festival in the Punjab state of India. It is a festival that spreads the message of love and unity among the people. The people on the occasion of this festival become united together, sing, dance and enjoy the celebration. They also spend a good time with their family and friends along with enjoying the sweet dishes prepared on this occasion.

I have tried to provide all the details of the Lohri celebration in this essay. I hope that you will love reading the essay on Lohri that is written in an easy format.

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FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions on Lohri Festival of Punjab

Q.1 What does the term ‘Lohri’ mean?

Ans. The term ‘Lohri’ refers to the treats that are collected by children during the festival.

Q.2 What songs are sung in the festival of Lohri?

Ans. The songs in the praise of Dulla Bhatti are sung on the day of the Lohri festival.

Q.3 Why is the festival of Lohri celebrated?

Ans. The festival of Lohri is celebrated to thank god for the annual harvest.

Q.4 Whom does the people worship on the festival of Lohri?

Ans. People worship The Sun: God of Fire on the festival of Lohri.

Q.5 What name was given to the Lohri in the past?

Ans. ‘Tilodi’ was the name of the Lohri festival in the past.