Lohri was one of my favorite festivals as a child. It was low key enough to not drive everyone into a frenzy like Diwali, yet, it brought the whole khandaan ( family at large in Hindi), including the neighbors, together very harmoniously. Apart from the usual dancing, singing and merry making, which is a given for all Punjabi celebrations, I also loved the ritual of gathering around a bon fire outside and throwing popcorn and peanuts into the fire as an offering to Agni, the God of Fire.

C’mon, celebrate Lohri with Amara Moms this year!!

We will be celebrating the festival of Lohrithis year with our kids and families and would like to invite all of you to join in – virtually.
Come visit us on Wednesday, the 13th January for a fun, online Lohri celebration!

Why is Lohri celebrated?

Lohri is celebrated to welcome the end of the winter season in Northern India. The Punjab and other areas of North India get very cold in the months of December and early January, but after Lohri, the weather begins to warm up. The farmers rejoice because their fields will soon be ready with the new crops. Hence, it is essentially a harvest and New Year festival for the farmers.

During the day, children go from door to door singing songs of Lohri. The children are given sweets and treats, known as Lohri. These treats are mainly popcorn, peanuts, gajak- a yummy peanut or sesame seed brittle, rewadi-made with jaggery and sesame seeds, foods that are good for the cold weather.

Lohri is celebrated throughout the country in different forms, as a harvest festival. Pongal in the South, Bhugali Bihu in Assam, Bhogi in Andhra Pradesh and Sankranti in the central part of the country. While it will remain a harvest festival in essence, to most of us , it means an evening where we get together with our family and neighbors and have a jolly good time!!

Happy, happy Lohri to all of you.