Lohri 2027

What is Lohri?

Lohri is the Punjabi winter festival celebrated on the night before Makar Sankranti — usually 13 January, sometimes 14 January when the Sun enters Makara late in the evening. It marks the end of the coldest part of winter and the ripening of the rabi crops, especially sugarcane and wheat. It is celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Delhi, and by Punjabi families worldwide. The next morning is Maghi, the Punjabi name for Makar Sankranti.

How is Lohri celebrated?

The bonfire

After sunset, families and neighbours gather around a large bonfire in a courtyard or open ground. They walk around the fire (parikrama) and offer rewari, gajak, til (sesame), peanuts, popcorn and jaggery to the flames, asking Agni for abundance and a good harvest. The same foods are then shared as prasad.

Songs, bhangra and giddha

Children go from house to house in the days before Lohri singing traditional songs and collecting sweets and money. The best-known song, "Sundar mundriye ho!", tells the story of Dulla Bhatti, a Punjabi folk hero remembered for rescuing young women and arranging their marriages. Around the fire, men dance bhangra and women dance giddha to the dhol.

The first Lohri

Lohri is especially joyful for a family's first Lohri after a wedding or the birth of a child. Relatives are invited, gifts are given to the bride or baby, and the celebration is often bigger than any other in the year.

Food of Lohri

The traditional Lohri dinner is sarson da saag with makki di roti, followed by rau di kheer (rice cooked slowly in sugarcane juice) and plenty of gur, gajak and rewari. Many families also make til ladoo and pinni.

Lohri abroad

In Canada, the UK, the USA and Australia, gurdwaras, Punjabi associations and community centres hold Lohri evenings with a bonfire where local rules allow, or with a symbolic fire, music and food indoors. Check local fire-safety rules before lighting a bonfire in a garden or park.